Guardians of Yokai Academy
by MercenaryGrax
Summary: After their battle during the invasion, Naruto and Gaara merge with their bijuu and become a Kyuubi and Ichibi respectively. Two years later, the headmaster of Yokai Academy offers a paying mission for their assistance. Their mission: to protect the students of Yokai Academy from any and all threats.
1. Challenge Guidelines

Okay, this is the final challenge fic I'll be taking up based on a challenge I have on my profile. The challenge guidelines are as follows:

_After meeting and battling each other during the invasion (both Naruto & Gaara are 16 as the graduating age for the academy should be bumped up to said age for this challenge), Naruto & Gaara end up using so much of their Bijuu's chakra that they merge with their Bijuu's and literally BECOME the new Kyuubi and Ichibi respectively! As a result of this, they take on new features akin to that of demons and are thus referred to as such upon being discovered. However, confusing enough to the two of them, rather than being shunned, their respective villages decide to make use of them as powerful assets and actually train them to become more powerful and learn more of their new abilities rather than try to kill them for being what they are._

_Two years later, at the age of 18, both villages receive a letter from the headmaster of Youkai Academy, Mikogami. He requests the help of both Naruto Uzumaki and Gaara. Agreeing to the mission, Gaara travels to Konoha where the two of them wait at the gates of Konoha for a 'bus' to show up and take them to their destination. Once the bus appears before them and takes them away to the academy, they soon realize that the odds of receiving backup, should it be needed, are slim to none due to the fact they just traversed dimensions, leaving their home behind._

_Upon arrival, the first thing the both of them do is go to speak with the Headmaster, Mikogami. Once they do, they get further details on their mission, learning that their duty is to protect the students from any and all threats, as things have become rather hectic as of late, what with the situation with Kuyo just being resolved recently and Tsukune and friends returning from their field trip and dealing with that witch and befriending Ruby and so on. Mikogami wants people he can trust and knows are capable of dealing with the threats to his school and its students to take care of things, but more than that, he would like them to befriend Tsukune's group and look out for them, as trouble seems to keep finding them most of all._

_You, as the challenge taker/author can write out the meeting and the month of interactions and so on as you'd like. However, after a month, Tsukune's jealousy and anger starts to get the better of him as he thinks that Naruto is trying to take Moka from him, despite the fact that Naruto and Moka are just friends. In fact, Naruto and Gaara get along well with all the girls and have tried to get along with Tsukune, but he's been nothing but suspicious of them and spurns them both, refusing to trust them or be friends with either of them._

_Finally, when Tsukune sees Moka giggling with Naruto and placing her hand on his arm, despite not hearing what they were talking about (even though it should be obvious that Naruto made a joke of some kind and made her laugh), Tsukune decides enough is enough and decides to do something about it in an effort to get rid of him. As a result of this, he removes the rosario placed on him and willingly gives into his Ghoul side, thus attacking Naruto and trying to kill him. At first, Naruto tries to simply calm him down and only defends himself, but once Gaara appears and restrains Tsukune with his sand, they both realize that Tsukune's already too far gone, the Ghoul has already taken over and Tsukune, as they knew him, no longer exists. So, despite the fact it would hurt those that care for Tsukune and likely make them hate him, Naruto kills Tsukune in front of Moka and the other girls before he and Gaara leave them to grieve in peace._

_From this point on, you as the author can take things in your own direction pretty much. However, you need to make it so the girls come to the realization that Tsukune really didn't give Naruto much choice, that he was in the wrong and chose to do that for whatever stupid, selfish reason he did. Essentially, there's nothing to forgive, and they should seek out Naruto and talk to him, telling him that it's okay and they aren't angry with him._

_Somehow, I would like to see Naruto end up with both Moka and Kurumu, while Gaara gets with Mizore. You can make it so both of them get harems if you want, that's fine with me. And if you want to make Yukari older so she can be with one of them (preferably Naruto), that's cool too. Really, it comes down to what you, as the author & challenge taker, choose to do._

As you can see, there's a lot of information in this particular challenge. If you want to take up this challenge yourself, feel free to. I'm actually quite curious to see what people can do with this particular challenge. You're also free to take up any of the other challenges on my profile page.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N - Okay, as I mentioned in the Challenge Guidelines, this is the final challenge fic I'm doing based on one of my challenges. Most of this chapter is basically just a setup for the main story of this fic. It will take place mostly in Yokai Academy, but I'll show some scenes from the Elemental Nations sometimes, I'm sure.**

**Anyways, I can't think of much else to say. I hope you enjoy this first chapter of the story!**

* * *

**Chapter 1 - Welcome to Yokai Academy!**

Naruto grunted as his back hit the tree. "Damn it, that hurts." he complained. "There's got to be some way to beat this guy."

Standing a short distance away on a tree of his own, a rather ferocious-looking sand demon glared at him. This was the form a teenager named Gaara took after being wounded by one Sasuke Uchiha. Now, after Sasuke had exhausted himself and his curse mark rendering him unable to act, Naruto Uzumaki found himself fighting hard against the toughest opponent he had ever faced. It didn't help that Gaara had Sakura pinned to a tree with sand slowly crushing her! This meant that he had to defeat the sand-using jinchuriki fast or she would die!

_Okay damn it. What the hell do I have to do to beat this guy?_ Naruto wondered to himself as he tried to think of what he should do. As he was forced to dodge another attack from Gaara, he scowled and came to a decision. _If he's utilizing the Ichibi in such a way, then I guess I'll have to do the same! Kyuubi, I need your power!_

Naruto could hear the Kyuubi chuckling darkly in his head as he felt the Kyuubi's chakra envelop him in a cloak. Dodging yet another attack from his opponent, Naruto leapt towards him and swung his arm forward, the Kyuubi's chakra extending and slashing through his opponent's sand. As Gaara's sand fell around him, he snarled and quickly drew on more of the Ichibi's power.

When Gaara underwent another transformation and took on the form of the gigantic bijuu that he contained, Naruto couldn't help but mutter, "Oh shit." as he looked up at the massive beast. It didn't help matters any when Gaara used the Feigning Sleep Technique to give control over to the beast inside of him.

As tendrils of sand began whipping around, attempting to grab him, the fifteen year-old blonde began bouncing off the trees to dodge them. As the Ichibi grew more and more frustrated at not capturing the teenage blonde, he eventually decided to create a large wave of sand that swept towards Naruto.

Not seeing any other option available to him, Naruto called on more of the Kyuubi's chakra, two tails forming from the tailless cloak. Leaping over the wave of sand, he thrusted his arm forward and grabbed onto the bijuu's leg with the Kyuubi's chakra. Pulling himself to the leg, he began running up the monster tanuki's leg, his cloak burning away any sand that tried to grab him.

As he reached the creature's back, he spotted Gaara and began rushing towards him. However, before he could reach him, the sand beneath him shot up and smacked him off of the bijuu. Crashing to the ground, he tumbled end over end for a moment before he rose again. Glaring at Gaara, he prepared to attack again, only to hear a scream from his pink-haired teammate.

Glancing over at his pink-haired teammate, he saw that the Ichibi was enveloping her in even more sand. "No! Stop it!" he shouted at the Ichibi. Leaping towards the Ichibi's head, he was swatted aside again by its massive paw. As he crashed into a tree near Sakura, he looked to where she was. As the sand enveloped the rest of her body, he was forced to listen as the sand crushed her.

Naruto's eyes went wide and his eyes watered as he saw blood mixing in with the sand. "No. No no no no no. Noo**ooooo!**" he screamed out as he clutched at his head. He unconsciously drew on as much of the Kyuubi's chakra as he could, going into a 7-tailed state.

The Kyuubified Naruto disappeared in a burst of speed and slammed into the Ichibi's stomach, sending it tumbling some distance away. Once it got back on its feet, it sent a large wave of sand flying towards Naruto.

Quickly forming a Tailed Beast Ball, the whiskered teen fired it in a large beam at the Ichibi. The attack tore through the enormous wave of sand and shot through the Ichibi's body, destroying it in an instant.

As Gaara began to fall, he slowly opened his eyes and looked around. When he realized that he was falling, he prepared to call forth his sand to catch him, he was tackled by Naruto. The two of them went crashing through a couple of trees before Naruto pinned Gaara to a tree. Snarling at the redhead, Naruto reared back a fist and prepared to punch Gaara with his Kyuubified fist.

However, Naruto froze for a moment and clutched at his head. The blonde began to scream out as the Kyuubi cloak began to recede. Once the cloak had completely receded, a badly wounded Naruto collapsed unconscious to the ground below.

Gaara breathed out a sigh of relief as he sat down and rested against the tree. After what had just happened, he needed to rest for a short while to recuperate.

_**Earlier - Naruto's Mindscape**_

Naruto kneeled before the Kyuubi's cage, tears cascading down his cheeks. "She's gone. That...that _monster_ killed her!" he said quietly.

The Kyuubi simply laughed for a while. When it calmed down, it said, "**Yes, she's gone. The question now is: what will you do about it? If you want to make him pay, remove the seal and you can have **_**all**_** of my power. I will help you **_**kill**_** him if you so desire.**"

Naruto slowly rose to his feet and stared up into the Kyuubi's eyes. Without a word, he approached the seal and reached for it, only for a hand to grab his, stopping him from removing the seal. "I wouldn't do that son. Stop and think about what you're doing for a moment."

The teenage blonde looked to see who had stopped him. Eyes widening in shock, he stuttered out, "The Y-Yondaime Hokage?! What are you doing here?!"

Minato smiled down at the young man. "Naruto, I left a portion of my own soul in the seal as a precaution. Should you ever attempt to remove the seal containing the Kyuubi, I would appear to stop you." he explained. "I understand you're hurting Naruto-kun, but releasing the Kyuubi is _not_ the answer."

"But what do I do? He killed Sakura-chan! I couldn't save her in time!" Naruto exclaimed as more tears began to stream down his face. "I loved her! I let her down…"

Wrapping his son up in a hug, Minato released a soft sigh. "Naruto-kun, it's not your fault. Sometimes, there's just nothing you could have done to prevent a tragedy. Like the night of your birth, for instance."

Naruto blinked a couple of times in confusion. "Wait, you were there when I was born? Wait...you called me 'son' earlier. Does that mean…?"

"Yes Naruto-kun, I am your father." Minato said. He would have said more, but Naruto landed a punch straight to his gut, causing him to double over in pain. "Okay...I think I deserved that."

"Damn right you deserved that! How could you seal the Kyuubi within your own _son_?! Do you have any idea how the people of this village have treated me?! What they've done to me?! Why did you do it Dad?!"

Minato released another sigh as he looked his son square in the eyes. "I never wanted to Naruto-kun. The Kyuubi was supposed to remain in your mother. She was the Kyuubi jinchuriki before you. Somebody calling himself Madara Uchiha attacked that night and released the Kyuubi from your mother. Your mother wanted me to seal the Kyuubi into her again so that he would die with her. But I knew the Kyuubi would just reform in a few years. In order to protect the village, I sealed the Kyuubi within you. I wanted you to be seen as a hero for holding back the Kyuubi, but it seems that didn't happen. And for that, I am truly sorry."

"**You placed too much faith in those villagers of yours Yondaime. In their grief, they viewed the boy not as my warden, but as me, the Kyuubi himself. They thought that by hurting the boy, they'd be hurting me. That's hilarious, isn't it **_**Yondaime**_**?**" the Kyuubi taunted.

Minato smirked at the Kyuubi and said, "Almost as hilarious as the seal I used to trap you within my son. You see, there's something about the seal that you seem to have missed _Kyuubi_."

Narrowing his eyes, the Kyuubi turned his gaze from the Yondaime Hokage to the area of the cage where the seal was. "**What are you talking about Yondaime? What did you do?**"

"The seal is slowly killing you. It's taking all of your chakra and slowly transferring it to my son. With enough time, you would cease to exist. The process is quickened when Naruto-kun accesses your chakra. Haven't you felt yourself getting weaker as the days go by? Soon enough you'll be gone and Naruto-kun will be all that remains. Face it Kyuubi, I _beat_ you."

Hearing this caused the Kyuubi to snarl in contempt. "**I have never hated a human as much as I hate you right now! There has to be some way to stop this process?**"

"Even if there was, I wouldn't help you Kyuubi." Minato said. "I wanted my son to have the best chance of survival, and this solution was the one that worked best in my calculations."

Naruto frowned as he heard the two of them speak with each other. "Wait...this seal isn't actually _hurting_ me, is it Dad?"

Before the Yondaime could respond, the Kyuubi began to laugh. "**Boy, I just got an **_**excellent**_** idea. You're the one who said you wanted my chakra. Well, I'll give you all that you can handle!**"

Minato's eyes widened and he shouted out, "No! Don't do it Kyuubi! You realize what will happen if you go through with this?!"

"**That's **_**precisely**_** why I'm doing this! Even if I die, he'll forever live as the reminder to your precious village that demons **_**do**_** exist!**" the Kyuubi exclaimed before forcing all of its chakra through the seal and into Naruto.

As Naruto began to scream out in pain, collapsing to his knees before his father and the Kyuubi, changes to Naruto's body began to gradually appear little by little. First his pupils became slitted like the Kyuubi's. Afterwards, his ears transformed to become like the Kyuubi's: rabbit-like in appearance. Naruto's fingernails and toenails shifted into claws. Finally, big, bushy tails began to form one by one, protruding from the area just above his buttocks. By the time the transformation was over, he had nine tails sprouting from his back, all of them standing at attention as Naruto slowly began to calm down.

Looking from the now empty cage to his son, Minato frowned sadly. "He's made you the new Kyuubi… Son, I am _so_ sorry. As if your life wasn't already hard enough as it was. I can only imagine how much worse things will get when they see you like this."

Naruto slowly rose to his feet and shook his head to try and rid it of the massive headache he now had. Looking into his father's eyes, he frowned. "Dad...what do I do now? I'm a monster! Nobody will want anything to do with me if I'm like this!"

Minato frowned at his son. "You can't think like that Naruto-kun. Who knows? You might end up meeting people that will accept you for who you are rather than what you look like. After all, just because you're now the Kyuubi, that doesn't mean you aren't still _you_. You just need to put yourself out there and let people get to know you for who you are. If you're worried about a romantic relationship? Well you shouldn't worry too much. Just look for a woman like your mother and you'll be set."

The young man frowned at that and looked down. "But...the girl I was in love with is dead now. How could I find someone else like her?"

"Just give it time Naruto-kun. All wounds heal with time, and this is no different. But for what it's worth, I'm truly sorry you lost her in the manner that you did. You should never have had to experience the loss of someone close to you so soon. But you have, and now you just need to push through this and become a stronger person from this experience. Become strong enough to ensure you never have to experience this kind of pain again my son."

Naruto slowly nodded his head in understanding before he noticed something. "Hey Dad, who's that?" he questioned, pointing towards a figure that was approaching them from the darkness. When the figure stepped out into the light, it revealed one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. Long, flowing red hair, beautiful violet eyes, and she had breasts that were just the right size as well. The woman was dressed in what Naruto felt was typical housewife attire. A blouse, a green dress, a wristband on her left wrist, etc.

As he stared at her in awe, Minato couldn't help but chuckle. "Naruto-kun, meet your mother, Kushina Uzumaki. I'm sure you've got a lot to talk about." the Yondaime said as he began to fade away. "Heh, looks like my time is up."

"Dad? What's going on?" Naruto questioned as he looked at his father.

"I did say I was only a soul _fragment_, Naruto-kun. My time was limited. So a few final words before I fade completely. I love you son. You've made me proud to be your dad." Minato said before he vanished completely.

Naruto could feel tears prickling at his eyes again, but before he could shed a single tear, the woman wrapped him up in a warm embrace before wiping the tears from his eyes. "Sweetheart, don't cry. I promise he'll always be watching over you. And...if it helps any, I won't be leaving you. I'm here to stay." she said.

"You are? But aren't you just a soul fragment too?" Naruto questioned.

Kushina shook her head in the negative. "I'm something more than that. I altered the seal so that I could survive as a part of you. So despite being a soul fragment, I can siphon some of your chakra to sustain myself. It's only a small amount of chakra being drained to sustain me, not even noticeable to you or anyone else. So I promise you Naruto-kun, I'm here to stay. You won't ever have to feel lonely again."

Naruto smiled as he hugged his mother back. "I'm so happy to hear that." Looking into his mother's eyes, he just had to say something. "You're so beautiful Mom. I really love your red hair. It's so pretty."

The redhead blushed a bit and found herself giggling. "You're so sweet Naruto-kun. Did you know that there's certain words I've only said to people who compliment my hair?"

"Oh? What are they Mom?"

Kushina kissed her son on the forehead and hugged him tight. "I love you." she said simply.

The whiskered blonde found himself smiling wider and nuzzled into his mother's neck. "I love you too Mom. So...you were the Kyuubi jinchuriki before me?" he questioned curiously.

The violet-eyed beauty nodded slowly. "Yes Son, I was. I was his second jinchuriki. Mito Uzumaki-sama, wife of the Shodaime Hokage, was his first. You, my wonderful son, are the third Kyuubi jinchuriki. Though...you're not a simple jinchuriki any longer. Now you're the brand new Kyuubi. It will take some getting used to, but you'll find that you're more powerful than ever. With this new power, you'll be able to better protect those dear to you. I'm just sorry that your crush was killed before you could save her. It's not fair and it's going to sting for a while, but you deserve to be happy Son. I promise you that you'll find a girl that reciprocates your feelings given enough time. I just hope you find a girl like me, someone that will treat you right and love you for who you are."

Naruto smiled at his mom and said, "Thanks Mom. But...I'm not sure I want to look for another girl. I need some time." he said sadly.

"Naruto-kun, that girl did nothing but abuse you for simply trying to talk to her. I hate to say this, but you're better off without her. That would not have been a healthy relationship. I don't know what you saw in her, but she wasn't right for you. You deserve _far_ better." Kushina said with a frown on her face.

At first, Naruto wanted to immediately rush to Sakura's defense, but after taking a moment to think on it, he looked down and shook his head. "I don't know why I wanted her. Yes, she was abusive and she hated my guts, but for some reason I wanted her. Then again, she paid attention to me when barely anyone else would. Even if it was negative attention, it was still something to cling to. I was so lonely. I still am actually. I just...I guess if I was persistent enough, she might have come around someday. But now that I take the time to think on it...I was just being an idiot, huh?"

Kushina kissed her son atop his head. "No Naruto-kun, you weren't being an idiot. You were a lonely child simply seeking attention. You honestly didn't know any better sweetie." she said supportively. "Now, it's okay to mourn her death, but don't be afraid to move on. You deserve to be happy Naruto-kun. And if you ever need some advice on anything, girls included, feel free to consult me. I'll gladly help you sweetie."

"In that case," Naruto began, sound hopeful, "what do I do about Gaara? There's a part of me that would like nothing more than to kill him for what he's done, but the other part…"

"An eye for an eye leaves everyone blind, Naruto-kun. I may not be the best example of how to act in regards to something like this, as I beat up a lot of people for insulting me and my red hair, and I would like nothing more than to tear that 'Madara' to shreds for what he's done, but if you kill your fellow jinchuriki for what his bijuu did, you'll wind up regretting it someday. You don't have to forgive him, but killing him isn't the answer." Kushina said, sounding sad and apologetic.

"I don't think I'll be able to forgive him for quite a while anyways Mom. Maybe someday, but certainly not now. I'll let him and his siblings go, but...I don't have to like it." Naruto said. "Now, how do I get out of here? Because Sasuke's likely to try and kill him if I don't stop him…"

"You just need to concentrate on the outside. You need to focus on waking yourself up. If you want to come see me again, just focus on this place and will yourself into your mindscape. It will help if you take up meditation. With your boundless energy, it might be hard for you to sit still long enough to concentrate on this place, but it will certainly help you in the long run. You _do_ need to learn some patience, after all." she teased.

Naruto pouted at his mom and whined out, "Mooom. Even you're going to tease me about that?" Seeing her nod with a grin on her face, the blonde sighed. "I'll try Mom. I promise I'll master the art of meditation so I can come see you whenever I want."

"Naruto-kun, you can always talk to me. Now that we've made contact, I should be able to speak with you at any time. But don't talk out loud, you don't want people to think you're crazy after all. Just think what you want to say to me and I'll hear it." she said with a warm smile on her face.

"Okay Mom. I need to go now though. Love you." he said with a smile as he hugged her tight. Seconds later he began to disappear.

"A word of warning sweetheart: be careful around those in power in Konoha. They'll want to use you as their weapon, especially now that you're the Kyuubi. Be careful who you trust." Kushina said moments before Naruto vanished from his mindscape.

_**Outside**_

As Naruto came to, he could easily make out his fellow jinchuriki up above in the tree. But he noticed something was off about him. Deciding to investigate, the blonde slowly stood up before ascending the tree.

Upon arriving on the same branch Gaara was on, he was shocked to find that Gaara had a tail, his eyes had become like those of the Ichibi's, and there were blue markings all over what he could see of Gaara's body. Looking into his eyes, Naruto was about to say something, but Gaara beat him to it.

"So, it's happened to you as well. Do you know what's going to happen to us now that we're like this?" the redhead questioned.

Naruto shook his head no. "I'm not entirely sure. We're not human anymore, that much is for sure. My best guess is people will begin to fear us even more than they already did. We'll be hated simply for being what we are. But…"

Gaara nodded in understanding. "Chances are they'll try to make us into the ultimate weapon for our respective villages. I doubt you'll be allowed to become Hokage, being what you are. And my village? Well, I was honed into a weapon by my father and his assassins he sent after me. They'll likely push me even harder now."

Nodding in agreement, Naruto would have said something more, but Sasuke landed on the branch. He was glaring at the both of them. "What the hell are you two? You look like a couple of demons."

"That's because we _are_ demons now." Naruto said irritably. "There's no point in hiding it anymore. We _were_ jinchuriki, people that had a bijuu sealed inside of them. I held the Kyuubi and Gaara here held the Ichibi. However, the bijuu we held are gone. _We've_ become the new Kyuubi and Ichibi respectively."

Sasuke found himself grinning after hearing this. "So, if I kill the both of you, I'll be one of the most renowned ninja in the world. I'll be hailed as a hero greater than the Yondaime for killing not one, but _two_ bijuu. That's good to know." he said before he began to prepare a Chidori.

Before Sasuke could finish his technique, Naruto punched him hard in the face, sending him flying through a couple of trees. Looking at his hand, Naruto blinked in confusion. "Okay, that was odd. I'm stronger now apparently. But Sasuke...I suppose I should have expected this from him." he said with a sigh.

Gaara frowned in confusion as he looked up at Naruto. "I'm surprised you're not trying to kill me. I know the Ichibi killed your friend. Shouldn't you want revenge for that?"

Naruto scowled down at Gaara. "You're right. I _should_ want revenge against you for what your beast did. But killing you isn't the answer. I can't forgive you for what you've done, but I will let you go. I'm hoping that you can change your ways and become a better person, Gaara. If not for me, do it for your siblings: Temari and Kankuro. I truly believe you can change Gaara, so don't let me down."

Gaara would have replied, but they both heard the sound of chirping birds. Gaara, spotting Sasuke rushing at Naruto from behind with a Chidori in his hand, quickly summoned up his sand and had it grab hold of Sasuke before slamming him to the ground below. Breathing a sigh of relief, he looked at Naruto and offered him a tiny smile. "Your friend is rather...tenacious, isn't he?"

"We're not friends." Naruto shot down immediately. "We hate each other. I'm not surprised he's attempting to kill me right now. Sasuke's deranged and in dire need of some psychological help, but he'd never agree to that. He thinks he's great the way he is."

"I see." Gaara replied. "Well, if he keeps this up, we might have to cripple him to make him stop."

"Heh. I'm sure the villagers would love that." Naruto noted sarcastically. "Listen Gaara, you and your siblings should probably get out of here before anyone else comes. Who knows what they'll try to do to you if they see you now?"

Gaara nodded slowly and pushed himself to his feet. Wobbling a bit, he looked at Naruto and said, "For what it's worth...I'm sorry."

Naruto simply remained silent, not sure what he could or _should_ say in response to that. When Temari and Kankuro appeared on the branch, Naruto motioned with his head to take Gaara and go. "Thank you for sparing him." Temari said before she and Kankuro grabbed their brother and began to hop away.

The blonde watched them as they disappeared into the distance. When he turned around, he saw Sasuke standing there glaring at him. "Are you done Sasuke? Because I'm in no mood to deal with your shit right now. Sakura's dead. Don't you care about that at all?"

Sasuke scoffed. "Who cares about that worthless fangirl? I say good riddance. She was a useless teammate and wasn't worthy to be called a ninja. The fact that you still care about her confounds me."

Naruto sighed and shook his head in disgust. "I suppose I should have expected that kind of response from you, Sasuke. You're a soulless dick, after all."

Before Sasuke could say or do anything else, a group of Anbu members appeared, surrounding them. When they saw Naruto's new appearance, they at first moved to draw their weapons, but Naruto held up his hands and said, "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt anyone. If you take me to the Hokage, I can explain what happened easily enough."

"The Hokage has passed away." a cat-masked Anbu said. "The council is trying to manage things for the time being. It would be best if you came with us Naruto Uzumaki."

"As you wish. But...what about Sakura's body? You're not just going to leave her here, are you?"

Cat looked to one of her fellow Anbu and nodded. Afterwards, the Anbu she motioned to disappeared to retrieve Sakura's body. "She'll be taken care of Naruto. Now, let's go." she said, placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder and vanishing with him in a Body Flicker.

_**Council Chambers**_

When he appeared in the Council chambers with Cat and the other Anbu, Naruto released a soft sigh. Looking around at the various Council members, he paid close attention to how they looked at him. The majority of the civilians were looking at him with fear while the remainder were looking at him in disgust. The Clan heads were looking at him curiously, almost as if they didn't know what to make of his new appearance. Then there were the three Elders: Danzo, Homura, and Koharu. The way Danzo was looking at him made him feel like he was nothing but prey to the one-eyed man. The other two Elders were looking at him with an appraising gaze. It was easy to see that their minds were running about a mile a minute, but what they were thinking of at the moment was a bit unclear.

"Do you know why you are here Naruto?" Homura questioned.

"Well there's no way you could have known about my change in appearance until now, so I would assume this has something to do with my battle with Gaara? Or do you want something else from me?"

"We know you tapped into the Kyuubi's chakra during your battle with Gaara. Everyone in the village could sense it, even if they aren't trained as sensors. We were concerned you had lost control and given yourself over to the beast. But now we can see differently. What happened?" Koharu questioned.

Naruto sighed and shook his head. _Hey Mom, what the heck should i tell them?_

"_As much as I hate to say it, you might want to be honest with them here. Don't tell them _everything_, of course, but don't lie either. And be careful of Danzo, the one in the bandages. He'll try to turn you into an emotionless weapon if you let him._" Kushina replied.

_Alright Mom. Thanks._ Naruto thought back before he looked around at everyone. When Koharu began to ask her question again, Naruto looked straight at her and said, "I heard you. I'm just trying to figure out how to explain what's happened. I still don't quite understand what happened myself, so imagine how hard it is to put it into words."

Everyone nodded in understanding at that. "Well, why don't you just tell us what you can?" Inoichi suggested.

Nodding slowly, Naruto reached up and scratched at one of his ears. "As you're already aware, I had to tap into the Kyuubi's chakra in my battle with Gaara. I wasn't sure how else to beat him at the time. After Gaara gave control over to the bijuu within him...the Ichibi killed my teammate, Sakura Haruno. After that...I lost it. I drew on a _lot_ of the Kyuubi's chakra and I don't know what happened after that. When I came to, I was like this." he said, motioning towards his body. "I can tell you this: the Kyuubi is no more. It's gone. From what I can tell, I've become the new Kyuubi."

"So you really _are_ the Kyuubi?! I knew we should have killed you when we had the chance! We'll correct that now." one of the civilians said. "I call for the Kyuubi's execution!"

The remaining civilians exclaimed their agreement, but they were the only ones. Danzo stepped forward with a small smirk tugging at his lips. "If you've become the new Kyuubi, then it only makes sense to turn you into our weapon. I recommend that Naruto Uzumaki be turned over to my custody so I can train him into this village's ultimate weapon to be used against all those that threaten us."

Before Naruto could protest this, Hiashi spoke up. "No Danzo. I agree that he should be trained, but not in the way you're hoping for. The best thing we can do at this point is assign the proper teachers to Naruto-kun so that he can be trained properly. Naruto-kun will be our village's secret weapon. However, until he's ready to defend himself and our village from any and all threats, it would be prudent of us to ensure that his identity is kept safe from any potential spies. Naruto-kun," Hiashi looked to Naruto at this point, "in order to ensure your safety, it would be wise of you to maintain a transformation whenever you're out and about in the village."

Naruto nodded slowly in understanding. Before anyone else could say anything, Naruto included, the doors opened and Jiraiya stepped inside. When he laid eyes on Naruto, he halted his steps and shouted out, "What the hell happened to you Naruto?!"

Naruto sighed and shook his head. "Long story short Jiraiya-sensei, I'm the new Kyuubi. I guess I used too much of the Kyuubi's chakra and I ended up like this."

"Uh-huh. Well, that's not important right now." he said before looking at the various members of the Council. "Have you informed him yet?"

Homura shook his head in the negative. "No, we were just about to get to that Jiraiya."

"I see." Jiraiya said as he looked at Naruto. "Kid, we're leaving to hunt down the next Hokage. We'll stay for the funeral, but afterwards we're leaving in search of my teammate: Tsunade Senju. Understand?"

"Got it Jiraiya-sensei. Thank you for letting me stay for the funeral. There's a couple of people I want to say goodbye to at the funeral anyways." Naruto replied.

_**Months Later - After the Sasuke Retrieval Mission**_

Naruto sighed as he returned to the village, dragging Sasuke's body behind him. He knew that this was about to get ugly, but he wasn't given much of a choice. _Damn it Sasuke, why the hell did you have to go and do something like this?_ He wondered silently to himself.

"_It's a shame to see what became of Mikoto-chan's son. We had hoped you two would become the best of friends, but it seems Sasuke's hatred of Itachi-kun and his desire for power pushed him over the edge. I'm sorry you had to kill him sweetie._" Kushina said from within his mind.

Naruto would have replied, but he was soon surrounded by four Anbu. Cat looked at him and said, "We'll escort you to see Hokage-sama, Naruto. When the villagers see what's become of Sasuke, you know they'll be out for your blood. So we were sent, just in case, to escort you to her office. Boar, take the Uchiha's body and follow us." Boar nodded and took Sasuke's body from Naruto, lifting him in his arms.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Naruto looked at Cat and said, "Thank you. I doubt I could have dealt with the villagers _and_ delivered his body to Hokage-sama on my own. I don't trust the villagers to remain civil with me after they see this."

When they entered the village, Naruto couldn't help but look at all the villagers that were there waiting for Sasuke's return. When they saw his dead body being carried by Boar, Naruto wasn't surprised to see their glares directed at him. He was certain that if he didn't have the Anbu surrounding him that they would have assaulted him. Naruto was almost certain that they'd try to attack him even with the Anbu there.

"You demon! You killed him! How dare you murder Uchiha-sama?!" one of the villagers shouted.

Naruto sighed and shook his head. He remained quiet and simply walked through the crowd with the Anbu guarding him. When they finally reached the Hokage tower, the whiskered blonde couldn't help but release a sigh of relief.

When they entered Tsunade's office, Naruto was surprised to see Gaara and his siblings standing there. "Gaara?" he questioned, "What are you doing here?"

Gaara turned and smiled at Naruto. "We were asked to assist your team. It's good to see you again Naruto."

Naruto frowned at first, but after a moment, he released a soft sigh and said, "I forgive you Gaara. After what happened with Sakura, I wasn't sure if I ever could, but it's been months since then and I don't want to hold a grudge against you any longer. So...I forgive you. And it's good to see you too Gaara."

"As nice as that is, we need to talk about what happens now. Based on what I'm seeing here, is it safe to assume that Sasuke left you no choice but to kill him Naruto-kun?" Tsunade questioned as she looked from the body in Boar's arms to Naruto.

Nodding slowly, Naruto said, "That is correct Hokage-sama." he said respectfully. "When I caught up with him at the Valley of the End, Sasuke attempted to kill me in order to secure his escape to Orochimaru. It turned into a kill or be killed situation. And your orders were to bring him back by any means necessary, so I did what I had to do."

Tsunade nodded in understanding. "I see. The civilians might hate you for what's happened, but everyone else in the village should be understanding with you."

"Naruto was just doing his job. How could people hate him for doing what was necessary to prevent a traitor from reaching one of this village's biggest traitors?" Temari questioned angrily.

"Because the civilians practically worshipped Sasuke." Naruto explained. "I've always been hated by the populace, but Sasuke was treated like a hero. The fact that I killed him is going to rub people the wrong way."

Tsunade sighed and nodded her head. "Sadly, that's how it is here. The civilians won't understand the situation like our shinobi would."

"Sounds like you've got it pretty rough here Naruto." Kankuro said. "If you ever need to just get away from it all for a while, you're more than welcome in Suna."

"I appreciate that Kankuro. However, I doubt I'd be granted such a vacation." Naruto said sadly.

The Godaime Hokage looked at Naruto for a time before sighing. After a moment, she spoke up. "Naruto-kun, Jiraiya wanted to take you out of the village for three years on a training trip. I denied him his request. As much as you and I may hate it, you are needed here in the village. Besides, you can learn far more from your assigned senseis here than you can on the road from just Jiraiya. I told him that if he wants to teach you for three years, then he can do so here in the village. Unfortunately...he didn't take well to that."

"I can imagine. However, even without him, I'll continue to get stronger. I want to be able to protect those dear to me." Naruto said. "If Jiraiya doesn't want to help me better myself, then I don't need him."

Tsunade smiled at Naruto. "Glad to hear it Naruto-kun. I'll be sure to instruct your senseis to up the intensity of their training regimens with you. You _do_ have the Akatsuki after you, after all, so you need to become strong enough to handle them should they come after you. I know they want the Kyuubi that _used_ to be sealed inside of you, but when they find out that you've _become_ the new Kyuubi, I'm not sure what they'll do."

Naruto sighed and shook his head. "I have no idea. They'll probably be pretty pissed off when they realize that they can't extract the Ichibi and the Kyuubi from Gaara and me. No idea what their plan is, or _was_, but I get the feeling they're going to be pretty pissed at the fact that they can no longer achieve their goals."

Gaara and his siblings frowned. "When do you think they'll be ready to start their hunt for the jinchuriki?"

"According to one of Jiraiya's spies, they'll be making their move in three years. I've already sent messages to the other villages to warn them of the danger this group represents, but I doubt my warning will be taken seriously." Tsunade explained.

The Suna trio nodded in understanding. "They'll likely be coming after me in Suna first then. I'll need to train hard these next three years." Gaara stated.

Tsunade nodded in agreement. "Yes, that would probably be for the best." Looking at Sasuke's body, she shook her head and sighed. "Now what to do about him?" she wondered aloud.

"That's a good question. You should probably think of something to do about his Sharingan. If you don't, you know Danzo's going to try something." Naruto said.

"Good point." Looking from Naruto to Sasuke's body and then back again, she couldn't help but smirk. "Naruto-kun, what would you say to having the Sharingan transplanted into you? I can think of no one better to receive his Sharingan eyes."

Naruto frowned and would have immediately shot the idea down, but his mother's voice stopped him cold. "_Sweetheart, I know you don't like the idea of having anything more to do with the Sharingan after what I've told you about 'Madara' and after what Sasuke did, but you shouldn't turn down such an opportunity simply because you don't like what other people have done with them before. The Sharingan are just another tool, a weapon to be used. Just imagine how much stronger you can become if you take the Sharingan for yourself._"

_If you're sure Mom. I'll accept in that case._ Naruto thought back. "I accept Hokage-sama. When do you want to do the transplant?"

"As soon as possible. Preferably before the Council makes a play for them." Tsunade said before rising from her chair. "Let's get to the hospital and we'll perform the transplant there." Looking at the three Suna genin, Tsunade said, "You three are welcome to come along if you'd like?"

"I think we shall. We can help keep anyone from interfering in the operation if we come along." Gaara said before they all made their way out of the office.

_**Two Years Later**_

The past two years had been rough. Naruto had made Chunin at the first Chunin Exams he participated in after the previous one was ruined by the invasion. He wasn't yet a Jonin however. Then again, he didn't really mind not making Jonin yet.

Naruto had also finally gotten over Sakura, but he hadn't quite found Mrs. Right just yet. He knew Hinata had a crush on him, but he just wasn't interested in her. The whiskered blonde was tempted to ask Ino out at one point, but he decided against it, as she was still upset over Sasuke's death. Sadly, he just wasn't interested in any of the girls in the village, but nor did they seem interested in him. He began to wonder if he'd ever find a girl that was just right for him.

Now, however, he was standing before the Godaime Hokage in her office. He couldn't help but glance around the room, not finding anyone else there besides the two of them. "Hokage-sama? What's going on?"

Tsunade frowned and said, "A mission has come in requesting you specifically. Your friend, Gaara, received the same mission and is on his way here now. You two have been requested to go to someplace called Yokai Academy by a man named Mikogami. This man wants you two to enroll as students in his school and, more importantly, he wants you to protect the other students there from any and all threats. He also made mention that it's a special school for monsters. Anyways, Mikogami wishes to meet both of you in his office so he can go over the specifics of the mission with the both of you when you get there. He's sending something called a bus to pick the both of you up. You should pack for a long-term mission. He said that you'll be there for about a year or two. Your bus arrives tomorrow at the gates."

"Monsters, huh? I wonder what he means by that? Anyways, I'll say goodbye to my friends and get ready for tomorrow. If that's all, may I leave Hokage-sama?"

Tsunade nodded. "Yes, of course. You're free to go Naruto-kun. Just...be careful, alright? I don't want to lose you because you were careless. And be respectful to the headmaster of that academy!"

Nodding in understanding, Naruto turned and left the room. _Monsters. I guess Gaara and I could fall under such a classification. But I can't help but wonder what kinds of monsters we'll see there…_

_**The Next Day**_

Naruto stood at the gates of Konoha with Gaara. They had greeted each other with a fist bump when they saw each other again. Now, however, they both were waiting on their bus to arrive. However, he couldn't help but glance back to see Tsunade, Shizune, and his various senseis and friends standing behind him, wishing him a fond farewell.

Gaara's siblings were amongst the crowd and they were watching their brother. The two of them had already wished him a fond farewell and instructed him to be cautious as well.

After a few more minutes, a rather quick contraption drove up to the crowd and skidded to a halt. When they got a good look at it, Naruto couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "Well, have to admit I didn't think I'd ever see something like this thing. So this is a bus huh?"

"That's right kid. So, you two ready to go?" the bus driver questioned after opening the door for them.

"Yep, we're ready." Naruto replied as he glanced over his shoulder one more time. Waving goodbye to them, he entered the bus and sat down on one of the seats near the middle of the bus.

Gaara turned and smiled at his siblings. "I'll miss you two. Take care of yourselves while I'm gone." he said before entering the bus and taking a seat on the other side of the bus, near his friend. "We're ready sir."

Nodding his head, the bus driver closed the door before waving at the crowd. Without a word, he began driving off into the distance. When a portal opened in front of the bus a short distance ahead, he drove through it.

As they entered the portal, Naruto and Gaara were in awe of all the colors swirling about outside the bus. Moments later, when they exited the tunnel, they came to a stop in front of a strange post with a pumpkin for a head.

When the bus driver opened the door once more, he smiled over his shoulder at the two demons. "Good luck you two. I hope you have a wonderful stay here at Yokai Academy."

Nodding in thanks, the two demons exited the bus and waved goodbye to the bus driver as he drove off. Looking up ahead, they could see the rather large academy off in the distance, past a rather gloomy-looking forest.

Looking into each other's eyes, they shrugged their shoulders and began making their way through the forest towards the school. As they walked along, Naruto asked, "So what do you think Gaara? What kinds of things do you think we'll learn here? Because, to be perfectly honest, I'm not that great at the various school subjects."

Gaara glanced into his friend's eyes and shook his head. "I'm not sure what to expect from this place, Naruto. I suppose all we can do is talk to this Mikogami character and hope for the best."

Nodding his head in understanding, Naruto said, "Well, whatever happens here, our main goal is to keep the students safe from harm. At least that's what the mission stated. I guess we'll learn more about what to expect from Mikogami."

After a while, they emerged in front of the school and looked at it. "Well, this place is rather big, isn't it?" Naruto questioned.

"Indeed. I wonder where this Mikogami is located?" Gaara wondered aloud.

"New students?" they heard a voice question them. "Are you looking for the headmaster by any chance?"

Turning, they spotted a rather beautiful pink-haired girl along with a group of other students. One was a rather average-looking guy that they could immediately tell was a Human, based off of what they felt from him. _Huh, I didn't think they allowed Humans in a school for monsters. I wonder what that's about?_ Naruto and Gaara both wondered.

The others in the group were a buxom bombshell with blue hair. Another was a cute girl in a witch's costume. Then there was a rather beautiful girl with black hair. Getting a good look at them, Naruto and Gaara couldn't help but blush a bit.

After a moment of silence, Naruto shook his head and smiled at them. "Yes, we're new here and we are, indeed, looking for the headmaster of this fine academy. Do you think you could take us to his office?"

The pink-haired girl nodded her head and smiled kindly at them. "Of course! You don't mind, do you Tsukune?"

The Human slowly nodded his head. "I don't mind. We need to introduce Ruby to him anyways and see if she can join the school as well. So sure, we'll take you there."

"Thank you. We truly appreciate your help." Gaara said before he and Naruto followed the group of students inside the academy.

As they walked through the academy, Naruto and Gaara looked around at the various students wandering about and chatting with one another. "Seems that everyone here is in their Human forms. It's a good thing we're sticking with our Human forms, isn't it Naruto?"

Naruto nodded slowly. "If everyone here is sticking to their Human forms, it's only right that we do the same. I wonder if it's a school rule or something?"

Kurumu, the blue-haired girl, nodded her head. "Yes, remaining in your Human form at all times is a school rule here. You can't reveal your monster form at any time. Though we've kind of had to reveal them sometimes to protect ourselves."

Nodding in understanding, the two demons thanked Kurumu for that information as they slowly approached the headmaster's office on the top floor. Once there, Naruto stepped forward and knocked on the door. Once they heard a voice on the other side say to come in, he pushed open the door and stepped inside.

As they got a good look at the man behind his desk, Gaara couldn't help but quirk a brow. "He looks like a priest."

Naruto nodded in agreement. Stepping forward, the two of them bowed to the headmaster. "Greetings Mikogami-sama. We have come as you requested."

"Ah, it's good to see you. And Tsukune and friends as well. What brings you to my office?" Mikogami questioned.

Moka stepped forward and said, "We wanted to introduce you to Ruby-san. She would like to join the school, if you'll have her."

The headmaster looked at Ruby for a moment before smirking to himself. "I see. Well, I could always use an assistant. If she'll agree to participate in classes and work as my personal assistant, then I'll gladly accept her."

Ruby bowed to the headmaster and smiled. "I'll gladly do anything if it means I can be with my new friends. Thank you Headmaster."

"Don't mention it. You five should run along now, though. I have some very important things to discuss with these two here. Thank you for guiding them to my office."

"Of course Headmaster. I hope to see the two of you later. Take care!" Moka exclaimed before she and her friends left the office.

Now alone in the office with Mikogami, Naruto and Gaara waited to hear what he had to say. "As you both know, I requested you two for a very important mission. As you are no doubt aware, Tsukune is a Human in a school made for monsters." Seeing them nod, he offered them a smile. "While I want you to protect the students of my academy from anything that may attempt to harm them, I'm especially worried about Tsukune Aono and his friends. I want you two to get close to them and keep them safe from harm. There have been a number of incidents involving them, and each of them has been deadlier than the last. Just recently, for instance, a young man named Kuyo attempted to kill Tsukune and Moka. He found out that Tsukune was a Human and that Moka knew all along and decided that they both needed to die for it."

Releasing a sigh, Mikogami looked the two of them in the eyes. "With the amount of danger Tsukune and his friends are in, I needed someone I could trust to look out for them. So that is why I requested you two for this mission. You have both become demons and you're both on the level of S-class monsters, probably even stronger than that. With your strength and your abilities, I trust you two to be more than enough to keep them safe."

"Now, to make things easier, I'm placing you in all of Tsukune's classes. And I do hope you two will join the same club that those four are in together. It's called the Newspaper Club, and they write about various things concerning the school and its students. I trust you two to actively participate in that club and not just sit there doing nothing." Mikogami continued. "A woman by the name of Shizuka Nekonome is in charge of the club as its advisor. She can be a bit...eccentric, but I trust you to be kind to her."

"Finally, you two will have your own dorm rooms on either side of Tsukune's room. I want you to befriend him and his friends if you can. Also, here's a map of the school for the both of you. I've already marked the rooms where your classes will be. And here, these are your schedules." Mikogami said as he handed the two of them maps and their class schedules. "Do you have any questions?"

"Yes. What kinds of monsters can we expect to come across here? Your request was rather vague in terms of what we could expect." Gaara questioned.

Mikogami smirked again. "You're bound to meet all kinds. Mermaids, witches, lizardmen, etc. However, if you want to know the kinds of monsters your new friends are, here's what each of them are. Tsukune is a Human, naturally. Moka, the pink-haired girl you saw, is a Vampire. Kurumu, the blue-haired one, is a Succubus. Yukari and Ruby are both Witches. Now, do you have any other questions that I can answer for you?"

"How long will this mission be? And can anyone else from our world get here? We have some very dangerous enemies that will be hunting for us in a year's time and I'd rather they not threaten the students here." Naruto questioned.

"You will be here for two years at the most. As for whether or not the Akatsuki can reach you here, the answer is no, they cannot. This place can only be found by those I allow here. You'll be perfectly safe from your enemies here."

Breathing sighs of relief, the two of them smiled at the headmaster. "We're glad to hear that. I would hate it if the students were put in mortal danger because of us." Naruto said. "Anyways, I can't think of anymore questions to ask. How about you, Gaara?"

"Will we be able to send letters to our friends and family back home? I would very much like it if we could keep in touch with them." Gaara questioned.

Mikogami nodded with a smile on his face. "Of course. The bus comes once per day and Nurari, the bus driver, will gladly deliver your letters for you. Now, if that is all of your questions, I would request that you find your dorm rooms and spend some time getting to know Tsukune and his friends. Classes resume tomorrow and I'm sure you're both more than eager to get started on your mission here."

Nodding in agreement, Naruto and Gaara both bowed to him. "Thank you Headmaster. We'll be on our way now. Do take care." Gaara said before he and Naruto left the office.

_Things should get even more interesting around here with the two of them here. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next._ Mikogami thought to himself with a grin on his face.

* * *

**A/N - And that's the chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! As you can see, a number of things happened in this chapter. It's also a bit shorter than my average chapter, but hopefully that doesn't bother anyone.**

**Anywho, I wanted to say something. I almost said 'Fuck it' to writing this chapter. I've been dealing with some shit lately, including some REALLY negative reviews on A Beautiful Curse, and it's all been bothering me a lot. I've been feeling rather depressed lately and I just...well, I almost quit writing. I've been told by some people that I'm not good at writing these fics and that I should go and die and other horrible things. It's all just been bothering me a lot and I don't appreciate it.**

**Anyways, with that out of the way, I hope you enjoyed this chapter of Guardians of Yokai Academy. I'm not sure what I'll work on next, as I keep getting requests for a lot of my stories. So yeah, I really dunno what's coming next. Still, hope you're looking forward to seeing what's to come!**


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N - Okay, here is chapter 2 of Guardians of Yokai Academy. I wasn't really sure what to work on this time, but I had the urge to work on this story, sooo...here it is!**

**One thing I felt you all should know is that I'm choosing to follow the manga, rather than the anime, of Rosario + Vampire. So as such, things will be a tad...darker, I suppose would be a good term to use.**

**Also, I didn't really plan out a lot for this story, just who would end up with who and what will happen to Tsukune and yada yada. As such, things happened in this chapter in a way I didn't expect them to while writing the story. I was pleasantly surprised at how this chapter turned out, so I hope you all like it as well!**

**Finally, you should note that I increased Yukari's age in this story to 15 years old. If you want to figure out what she looks like, look up a picture of her teenage form in the anime. Big breasts, beautiful, the works. She was actually pretty sexy.**

**And without further adieu, here is chapter 2 of Guardians of Yokai Academy! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 2 - Yuki-onna**

Naruto scratched at his hair and grumbled incoherently as he struggled to understand what Miss Ririko was teaching the class. He knew going into this mission that he'd have to study and do homework and all that crap, but even still...he sucked at math. The other subjects came to him easily enough, but math? Nope!

"Mr. Uzumaki, would you care to try and solve this equation?" the teacher asked in an attempt to focus his attention on the class.

Naruto looked at the equation on the blackboard and frowned in thought. _x + 27 (47) = y - x. Ugh, this is so damn confusing!_ He thought to himself. "Umm...hmm...can I try to solve it on a piece of paper first? It'll help me think."

Ririko sighed and nodded her head. "Just make it quick Mr. Uzumaki."

"Thanks Miss Ririko!" he exclaimed before sitting back down and jotting down the equation on a piece of paper. _Let's see here… Take that, multiply it like so...umm...oh! Okay, that shouuuld be it…_

After a while, Naruto stood back up and said, "2x + 1269 = y? Wait...do I need to solve for x and y?" he questioned.

Ririko sighed and pointed with a riding crop, of all things, towards the x = 72 just under the equation. "Using this number as the value of x, what do you get for y, Uzumaki?"

"Okay...let's see here…" Jotting down on his paper again, he did the math and then looked back at Ririko. "Umm...1402? Is that right?"

"Ooh, so close. It's actually 1413 = y. You were on the right track, but your math was just slightly off this time. You're learning though, which is good." the teacher said with a kind smile on her face. "However, I would like it if you would come see me after school is over for some private tutoring. Your test scores are abysmal and I'm concerned about you. I don't want anyone to fail my class."

Naruto sighed and nodded his head somewhat reluctantly. "As you wish Miss Ririko. Thanks for offering to help me."

"Anytime Uzumaki-kun. Now, open your books to page 131. Your homework for next time is to complete problems #4 - #17." she said before her eyes drifted to Naruto. _I'm looking forward to our tutoring session Uzumaki-kun. You'll never fail another test so long as I'm helping you._

_**After class**_

As Naruto and Gaara were leaving the classroom, they heard Ririko Kagome call out to Naruto. Telling his friend that he'd wait for him, Gaara left the classroom so Ririko could talk to Naruto.

Walking over to Ririko, Naruto asked, "What's up Miss Ririko? Did I do something wrong?"

Ririko shook her head and offered him a warm smile. "No, I just wanted to remind you that you should come see me after school. I'll be waiting for you here, alright? And please Uzumaki-kun, call me Ririko-chan when we're not in class."

"Only if you call me Naruto. But are you sure? Wouldn't it be bad for a student to be so chummy with their teacher?"

Miss Ririko giggled and shook her head. "Nonsense Naruto-kun. I'd like for us to be friends. After all, I care for you just like I care for all of my students." Reaching up, she placed her hand on his cheek and stroked his whisker marks gently. "I promise I'll teach you everything I know about math. I guarantee you're going to _love_ being tutored by me."

The seventeen year-old blonde blushed and nodded his head slowly. "Um, yeah...alright. I'm just gonna go now. Thanks again Ririko-chan!" he exclaimed before dashing out of the room.

Once outside of the classroom, Naruto was surprised to see Yukari standing there with Gaara. The fifteen year-old witch smiled when she saw Naruto. Stepping up to him, she looked into his eyes and said, "I know you've been struggling with math and a few other subjects, Naruto-kun. Since you and Gaara are a part of the Newspaper Club, and my friends, I wanted to say that I'd be glad to tutor you if you wanted? I know Miss Ririko offered to tutor you, but…"

Naruto smiled at Yukari and nodded. "I'd be glad to study with you if you're willing to teach me. Thanks Yukari-chan."

"It's no problem at all Naruto-kun. Feel free to come visit me in my room anytime you need some help. Or I can visit your room if you'd prefer?"

The blonde continued to smile at her as he said, "Either/or works just fine for me. If studying with Ririko-chan doesn't work out, I'll gladly have you teach me math instead. And I'll definitely be sure to come to you if I need some help with my other subjects. Actually, now that I think on it, I _do_ need some help with my science class, and with history...then again, that's to be expected considering Gaara and I come from a different part of the world than you're all from. I'd say more about it, but it's kinda hush-hush and I could get in some serious trouble for revealing anything. Sorry about that Yukari-chan."

Yukari smiled at her friend and shook her head. "It's fine Naruto-kun. We all have our secrets and our burdens, so I'm not going to pry. Just know that I'm here for you, okay? If you ever just need a friend to talk to, I'd be glad to be that person for you."

Gaara found himself smirking at this little conversation they were having. "If you two are done flirting, we need to get to our next class." he teased before walking off.

Yukari and Naruto both blushed as they looked at one another. "I don't know what he's talking about. We weren't flirting." Naruto said in a confused tone of voice.

The teenage witch giggled and shook her head. "I agree. Besides, Moka-chan and Tsukune-kun are the ones for me! It's going to be a forbidden love affair! It'll be so great!" she exclaimed giddily.

Naruto sweatdropped and slowly nodded his head. "If you say so. Regardless of what anyone might think, I _do_ find you plenty attractive. But that doesn't mean I'd do anything. Besides, I know who your heart is set on, so why would I ever try to come between that? You and I are friends, and that's all that matters. Right Yukari-chan?"

The young witch nodded and lightly punched him in the arm. "Right! And thank you. I'm glad you, at least, find me attractive. Sometimes I wonder if Tsukune-kun will ever look at me that way. I'd like to think I'm attractive enough, but…"

The teenage Kyuubi wrapped his arms around Yukari and hugged her close. "It's okay. Trust me, he'll come around someday. I hope. And even if he doesn't, you'll always have me around to cheer you up, I promise."

Yukari blushed as she returned his hug and buried her face in his chest. "Thank you Naruto-kun." she mumbled against his chest. "You mean it?"

"Of course I mean it. I just promised you, didn't I? And Naruto Uzumaki _always_ keeps his promises. So you're stuck with me Yukari-chan. You'd better believe it!"

Giggling, Yukari pushed herself away from him until he was at arm's length. "You're very sweet Naruto-kun. But Gaara-kun's right, we _really_ need to get moving before we end up running late." Smirking at him, she got closer and leaned up, kissing him on the cheek. "There's your thanks." she said before she began skipping off, humming a tune to herself.

The whiskered blonde blushed and cupped his cheek with his hand. _She really is gorgeous. Too bad she's interested in Tsukune._ He thought with a shrug before he followed after her towards their next class.

_**After School**_

Naruto bid goodbye to his new friends in the Newspaper Club, as well as Gaara, and set off for Ririko's classroom. Upon arriving, he saw Miss Ririko waiting for him with a small, seductive grin on her face. Blushing a bit, he walked up to her and said, "I'm ready Ririko-chan."

Ririko patted him on the shoulder and said, "Follow me. We're going to need a more private setting for what I have in mind." she said somewhat suggestively before she began leading him out of the room.

As he followed after her, Naruto couldn't help but frown. _Something doesn't feel right about this. I just can't put my finger on it though._

After a short while of walking, Ririko led him into a darkened room before shutting and locking the door. "We won't be disturbed in here Naruto-kun. Go ahead and take a seat while I get more comfortable."

Shrugging his shoulders, Naruto did as she instructed and sat in the chair in the center of the room. Glancing around, he was a little concerned when he didn't see a table or any kind of math-related things in the room. When Ririko reappeared moments later in a rather kinky getup that looked like something out of a BDSM magazine, he blushed deeply. "Um, Ririko-chan? What's with the getup? Are you really sure this is a study session and not some kinky fantasy of yours?"

Ririko giggled as she straddled him and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. "Oh Naruto-kun, I love that witty sense of humor you have. I promise I'll be gentle with you." she said before she leaned in and pressed her lips against his in a passionate kiss.

Blushing deeply, Naruto wasn't sure what to do at first. After a brief moment, however, he reached up a hand to cup her cheek and began returning her kiss. When she pulled back moments later and got off of him, he was left stunned. "Wow." he muttered.

"Indeed. Now, I hope you're ready Naruto-kun." she said before transforming into her monster form. Tail waving behind her, she offered him a seductive smirk. "I'm about to teach you all you need to know about math. Just sit still for your lovely Ririko-chan." she said as she lashed her tail forward in an attempt to ensnare his head so she could pump him full of all the information he could ever need for her class.

Naruto flipped backwards, away from her tail and narrowed his eyes at her. "Y'know, after that kiss, I was _really_ hoping you just wanted to seduce me. You've got me all hot and bothered now. But now I see you really just wanted to harm me."

Ririko shook her head and sighed. "All I want to do is give you the information you need to pass my class. Why are you fighting this Naruto-kun?"

"Umm, sorry to say this, but your methods seem a _little_ too extreme for my taste. I think I'd rather study with Yukari-chan." he said awkwardly. "But...if you promise to stop trying to do whatever it is you're trying to do, I'll forgive you for this...awkward experience. I'd really rather not have to hurt you Ririko-chan."

Ririko pouted at him and folded her arms under her bust, pushing her breasts up a bit and drawing his attention there for just the briefest of moments. Smirking at him, she said, "I only want to help you Naruto-kun. I don't want to have to fail you. My method is the quickest way to obtain all the information you could ever need. Would you really rather throw this chance away so you can study with Sendo-chan?"

Naruto nodded slowly. "I'd prefer that to this, Ririko-chan. Unless you'd rather stop this and take the time to actually _teach_ me? Rather than just give me all the information at once, you can actually tutor me so I can do better in your class. I promise I'm not incapable of learning. I really want to do well in your class Ririko-chan, but not like this."

The beautiful math teacher frowned at this before she slowly retook her human form. Releasing a heavy sigh, she looked into Naruto's eyes and smiled kindly at him. "As you wish, Naruto-kun. I'll teach you properly. I don't want you failing my class because I was a neglectful teacher. But...do you think you could do me _one_ favor?"

The blonde smiled at her as he walked up to her and took one of her hands in his. "Anything Ririko-chan. What's the favor?"

Looking deep into Naruto's eyes, she seemed to be searching for something before she eventually sighed. Smiling at him, she asked, "What kind of monster are you? You smell _divine_. I can't help but want to be near you."

Blushing, Naruto scratched at the back of his head and laughed awkwardly. "If you promise not to tell anyone, I'll tell you. After all, we aren't supposed to reveal our monster forms for any reason. But I trust you Ririko-chan."

Ririko smiled at Naruto and claimed his lips in another kiss before she stepped back and folded her arms across her chest again. "I promise I won't tell anyone what you are. Now tell me!"

Chuckling a bit, Naruto revealed his monster form to her. The rabbit-like ears, the nine bushy tails, and the slit eyes revealed to her exactly what he was. "A Kyuubi?! You mean you're an S-class monster?!"

Nodding once, Naruto hid his features again and smiled kindly at her. "Believe it or not, I used to be a Human. I had the previous Kyuubi sealed inside of me on the night of my birth. After a fierce battle against Gaara, however, we were both transformed. I'm the new Kyuubi. It's up to him if he wants to tell you what he is. I won't tell you what he's become. But yes, I'm a Kyuubi, an S-class monster."

"That would explain why you smell so divine. I've never smelled such a delectable scent before." she said. "It's so hard to resist you Naruto-kun. Right now, all I can think about is smothering you with love. I'll gladly tutor you the right way Naruto-kun, so long as you do me another favor…"

Quirking a brow, Naruto stared hard into her eyes. "What's the favor?"

Stepping up to Naruto, she pressed herself against him and claimed his lips with hers in another passionate kiss. When they separated this time, she smirked at him. "Keep our relationship a secret. I don't want anyone finding out that we're...romantically involved." she said before kissing him again.

Blushing badly, Naruto returned her kiss and gently ran his fingers through her hair. "I can do that. But are you absolutely sure about this? I mean...I'm your student and you're my teacher. Isn't this, you know, _wrong_?"

"Do I look like I care? I can barely control myself around you Naru-kun. Even now I'm trying to resist jumping your bones and giving you the time of your life. But I don't want to rush things, so I'm trying to keep myself under control." Ririko explained. She had a deep blush on her face and was panting as she tried to resist her baser instincts.

"If it helps any, I'm _very_ attracted to you too Ririko-chan. If you wanted to do _that_, I don't think I'd put up any resistance. It helps that for the month I've been here, you've been as kind to me as you have been. You've been very understanding and supportive, and...it helps make things easier for me here. I'm surrounded by so many people I don't know and I'm away from the few friends I had back home. Sure, I'm making new friends now, but I'm still trying to adjust to everything here. So...thank you."

Ririko smiled kindly at him and kissed him again. "And thank you for being such an understanding sweetheart, Naruto-kun. And for not being disgusted by my monster form. Aaand for forgiving me the way you did. I truly appreciate all of those things."

"Believe it or not, I thought you were equally as beautiful in your monster form as you are in your human form. I'd be happy being with you either way." Naruto admitted with a shrug.

Blushing badly, Ririko buried her head in his chest to try and hide her red face. "How can you say such sweet things to me? Don't you realize what you're doing to me Naru-kun?"

Naruto chuckled a bit as he hugged her close. "I'm just being honest Ririko-chan. Now, what do you say we get to work? I need a _lot_ of help, and you're the perfect person to help me sweetheart." he suggested, hoping to take their minds off of the potential 'good time' they could have together if they so chose.

Nodding quickly, Ririko stepped back and offered him a warm smile. "Yes, let's get to work. Just take a seat over there and we can get started. Do you have your math textbook on you?"

"Yep, got it right here." he said, pulling the book out of his pack. "Thanks again Ririko-chan."

_**Yukari's Room**_

Yukari hummed to herself as she cooked herself some dinner. She couldn't help but smile to herself as she wondered how Naruto was doing in his lessons with Ririko. When she heard a knock on her door, she turned off the stove and moved the pot she was using off of the hot burner. Going to the door, she opened it and saw Naruto standing there, rubbing the back of his head a little awkwardly. "Hi Naruto-kun! Come on in, I'm making dinner right now. Would you like some?"

"That sounds wonderful. Thanks Yukari-chan." Naruto replied as he stepped inside of her dorm room. Looking around for a bit, he couldn't help but smile. "You've got a nice place here. It's cozy. Mine seems kind of dull in comparison." he said jokingly.

Yukari giggled as she returned to the kitchen and resumed working on dinner. "I'm sure your room is just fine Naruto-kun. In fact, next time I'm coming to your room to tutor you. Now take a seat and wait for dinner to be served. It will only be a moment longer."

Naruto smiled at the witch and said, "Thanks Yukari-chan. For everything you've been doing for Gaara and me since we got here. I truly appreciate it."

"It's no problem Naruto-kun!" she replied as she brought out two plates full of food and set them down on the table.

As they said their thanks for the meal, Naruto dug in and moaned in delight. "This is delicious Yukari-chan! You're even a genius at cooking, aren't you? I wish I was half as amazing as you are."

Yukari lowered her head to hide her blush. "I'm not the amazing one Naruto-kun. But...thank you."

Naruto frowned at her and said, "I don't know why you don't think you're amazing. You're a great person Yukari-chan, and you _are_ amazing. But, let me guess…" the blonde sighed at this point before he continued. "You are selling yourself short because you think Moka-chan and Tsukune are the great ones, aren't you? I admit, Moka-chan _is_ pretty impressive, and she _is_ beautiful, but I happen to think you're a better person than they are. I also think you're one of the most gorgeous girls I've ever seen. So please, don't sell yourself short."

The fifteen year-old witch smiled at him with tears in her eyes. "Thank you Naruto-kun. You're really very sweet, you know that? I just...I wish they'd see me the way you do. I wish Tsukune-kun would acknowledge my feelings for him, and I wish Moka-chan would consider dating me as well. But they only have eyes for each other. It's weird though. Tsukune-kun seems to only have eyes for the pink-haired Moka-chan. But I think that the other Moka, the one that appears when the rosary is removed, is probably the real Moka-chan. Then again, I can't be sure about anything like that. I also get the feeling that the other Moka has feelings for Tsukune-kun as well. But...he won't acknowledge them. It's always about the pink-haired Moka-chan."

"That would certainly explain why I see such sadness in Kurumu-chan's eyes sometimes. She's desperately in love with him, but it's like he doesn't even see her. Right?" Naruto questioned, a deep frown on his face.

Yukari nodded slowly. "I enjoy my little arguments with her. She's not a bad person, but we tend to be at each other's throats more often than not. It's...fun though. I don't hate her, and I'm sure she doesn't hate me. I just wish she'd stop chasing after Tsukune-kun. He's mine and Moka-chan's!"

"Well...I know you just said you and Kurumu have a little rivalry going, and that you enjoy your arguments with her...but still, I'd really like it if you two could become true friends with one another. You two might find that you both have quite a few similarities." Naruto said with a smile on his face.

"If you say so. I don't see how we're similar at all, aside from our love for Tsukune-kun." Yukari said.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders and said, "I've only known all of you for a month, but I can see that you're both kind, caring individuals. I genuinely think that the two of you are beautiful, inside and out. But really, I'm not the best person to ask how you two are similar in other ways. Like I said, I have only known you girls for a month. That's not really enough time to truly get to know someone, is it?"

Yukari smiled at him before shaking her head. "I don't think so either. But it's easy to see that you and Gaara are good people. And I can't help but wonder what kind of monsters you two are. You sure you can't show me?"

Naruto smirked at her. "I could, but I need you to promise not to tell anyone what I am. I'd like to keep it a secret."

The fifteen year-old witch smiled brightly at him and nodded a few times. "I promise! I won't break my promise to you either. So pleaaase show me."

The blonde Kyuubi chuckled and nodded his head. "Sure Yukari-chan." Dispelling the illusion he had up, he revealed his true appearance to her. "Sooo...what do you think?"

"You're a Kyuubi?! That's an S-class monster!" she exclaimed in wonder. "Though I have to ask, what's with the bunny ears?"

Naruto chuckled and put his illusion back up. "Believe it or not, Yukari-chan, but I used to be a Human. I had a Kyuubi sealed inside of me on the night of my birth. After an intense battle with Gaara, I was transformed into this. I became the new Kyuubi." he explained. "Remember your promise, don't tell anyone about this. I don't want people to treat me any differently just because I'm a powerful monster."

The teenage witch smiled at him and nodded her head in understanding. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone. Thank you for trusting me with your secret. And I promise that I won't treat you any differently. You're my friend and I think you're a great person. That's all there is to it."

Nodding in thanks, Naruto finished his plate of food and patted his stomach. "I needed that. Thanks for the food, Yukari-chan."

Finishing her plate off as well, she said, "You're welcome Naruto-kun. Just let me take care of the dishes and we can get started on your homework. Okay?"

"Of course. Just take your time Yukari-chan. There's no rush."

After finishing up with the dishes, Yukari returned to Naruto's side and sat down next to him. "Show me what you've been having trouble with Naruto-kun. I'll do my best to help you understand enough to do it."

Pulling out everything he was having difficulties with, which surprisingly wasn't very much, he smiled at her. "I'll do my best not to let you down Yukari-chan. Thanks again for agreeing to help me."

"No problem Naruto-kun. Now, let's get started, shall we?"

_**Two Weeks Later**_

Naruto chuckled as he listened to Moka ramble on about an unusual experience she had. "How did you end up in a situation like that? That's unbelievable!" he exclaimed before chuckling some more.

"Hey! It's not funny." she said with a cute pout on her face. "This is the second time it's happened since I came to this school. Still, as awkward as it was, it surprisingly wasn't all that bad."

The pink-haired girl sighed and shook her head. "At least I'm happy here. Unlike human schools, I can be myself here and enjoy everything. I have friends here and they mean the world to me. I hated my time at human schools. I'm still not all that fond of Humans." she admitted with a guilty expression on her face.

"Hey, that's alright. Nothing wrong with disliking Human schools or the people you've encountered in them. To be honest, I'm not all that fond of Humans myself. The people back in my village, the one I live in? They've been nothing but cruel to me since I was a young child. I was alway called the 'demon child' and was never treated like an actual person. At least here, I can be myself without having to worry about people treating me differently. I have friends here in you and your friends in the Newspaper Club. Though...I have to admit, being stalked by a few of the girls here _is_ a new experience for me. I'm not used to _that_ kind of attention. Nobody was ever interested in me romantically back where I come from. Now though? I dunno how to feel about it."

The kind Vampire looked into his eyes and frowned. "So it was even worse for you than it was for me? I'm so sorry." she said sadly. "That must have been terrible for you." It was then that something he said registered in her brain. "Wait, you're being stalked by girls? Need us to deal with them for you?"

Naruto chuckled a bit and shook his head. "Nah, they're harmless enough. At least for now. Not sure what they'll be like later though. But yeah, girls genuinely seem interested in me here and it's a completely different experience than what I'm used to. Back home, the one girl I liked always hit me for the simplest of things. I'd try and talk to her and she hit me. I walked near her, she hit me. I say something as simple as 'Hello.' and she'd hit me. It didn't matter what I did, she was always like that. No idea why I liked her so much, now that I think about it. She's...dead now though. I never wanted her to die, but...it happened. I'm over her, no worries there, but still…"

Moka frowned as she gently took his hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. "I'm sure that must have been hard on you Naruto-kun. I'm sorry you had to go through all of that. Are you sure no other girls might have been interested in you back home? Surely there was someone that cared for you like that?"

Naruto shook his head. "Not that I know of. I figured this girl named Hinata might have liked me, but she started going out with Shino, so...yeaaah. I dunno. There might have been someone, but I didn't know of her if there was one. But here? Here it's kind of nice to receive that kind of attention. A bit creepy sometimes, but it's nice."

The pink-haired girl giggled and gave his hand another squeeze. "I'm sure it can be. And I'm sorry that you didn't receive positive attention like that back in your village. I'm glad you're here now. You're one of us and you deserve to be happy."

Naruto smiled at her, but when he went to reply, they heard Tsukune's voice from behind them. "Moka-chan...what's going on here? Why are you holding his hand like that?"

Moka released Naruto's hand and turned around to look at the object of her affections. "It's okay Tsukune-kun. I was just trying to be supportive. Naruto-kun's had it rough, just like the rest of us."

The blonde smiled at Tsukune and said, "It's not what you think buddy. We were just talking and, well...she _was_ just being supportive. I was telling her about my past. It...wasn't the easiest thing to deal with. Know what I mean?"

Tsukune frowned, but nodded his head. "I see. Well, it's time for class. We should probably get going." he said as he took Moka's hand and hurried off with her.

Naruto frowned as he watched them leave. _Great. That's _just_ what I need. Tsukune's getting jealous of how close I'm getting with Moka-chan. We're really just friends, but I don't think he realizes that…_ he thought before releasing a heavy sigh. "Perfect." he muttered.

"Having troubles?" he heard somebody ask. Turning around, he saw Gaara standing there with the older of the two witches, Ruby. "What's on your mind Naruto?"

Naruto sighed and shook his head. "We've got a problem with Tsukune."

Ruby frowned and asked him, "What kind of a problem? Nothing too bad, I hope."

The blue-eyed ninja replied with, "Tsukune's getting jealous of how close I've been getting with Moka-chan. He's feeling rather possessive of her, it would seem, and when he saw Moka-chan holding my hand, trying to be supportive of me, he got really jealous. This will make it harder to protect him for sure…"

Gaara and Ruby both frowned at this. "Our mission is to keep him and his friends safe from harm." Gaara said. "If he lets his jealousy cloud his judgment and he attempts to lash out at us…"

Ruby sighed and shook her head. "Tsukune-kun will just make it that much harder to keep him and the others safe. I've been asked to look after them as well while attending classes here. If he tries to chase you off somehow...what are we going to do?"

Naruto sighed and shook his head. "I don't know. I guess we'll just have to be cautious at that point and watch over him from afar or something. We'd still be in the Newspaper Club, of course, and we have all of the same classes, so we can watch over him then without a problem. But otherwise? I dunno."

Ruby nodded in understanding. "I see. And what about Moka? Will you still be as close to her as you are now?"

The blue-eyed blonde frowned at this and shook his head. "I'd have to limit my contact with her, unfortunately. She's a dear friend and I'm happy to have her around. But…"

Gaara sighed. "But as long as you're around her, you run the risk of Tsukune's jealousy spiking. At that point, anything can happen."

"Yes. I want to stay friends with her though. She's very sweet and understanding. I can really relate with her too. So...I'd hate to lose a friend over something as simple as Tsukune's jealousy."

Ruby sighed and shook her head. "Best not to think on it for now. Let's get to class."

"Right." Naruto said. "Hopefully nothing will happen and things will be normal from now on. I've got a gut feeling that it'll just get worse though…"

_**After School - Newspaper Club**_

Naruto and Gaara were listening closely as Tsukune talked with his friends. He was talking about an encounter he had with some girl earlier called Mizore Shirayuki. Apparently she was just a _tad_ obsessed with him and, from what the two of them could tell, she was stalking him as well. After all, they could easily sense the girl just outside the room, watching through the windows.

"This could be a problem." Gaara said to his best friend. "If she's this obsessed with him, there's no telling what she'll do to be with him. It's a dangerous situation he's in."

Naruto sighed and shook his head. "How does he end up in these kinds of situations? He's like a magnet for trouble."

Gaara chuckled a bit as he began writing his new article for the paper. "It's hard to believe, but he's even worse than you are when it comes to getting into trouble. I've heard about some of your missions. A simple C-rank mission could turn into an A or even an S-rank mission at the drop of a hat when you're involved. At least with this mission, we knew what we were walking into. I just didn't expect that the person we were hired to protect was an even worse trouble magnet than you are."

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up Gaara." Naruto complained. Then he shot a quick glance towards Tsukune before he turned to Gaara and leaned in close. "Have you sensed it? Tsukune's no regular Human, he's something more. The headmaster didn't tell us about whatever's happened to change Tsukune. Something's not right…" he whispered to his friend.

"I know. I've sensed it too. My best guess is that, during his time here, he's been turned into a monster himself. If I'm correct, that rosary he wears must seal his other form, whatever it might be. I'd say that we confront the headmaster about this, but there's no telling how he'd react to our suspicions. So for now, let's just watch over him and hope nothing happens that will set him off." Gaara suggested.

Nodding his head in agreement, Naruto leaned back again and began to work on his own article for the paper. "Right now our main concern should be this Mizore girl. She's the problem this time, and we need to keep our target safe."

"Agreed." Gaara said simply as he continued writing his article.

"What're you two talking about over here?" they heard Kurumu ask. "Anything special we should know about?"

Naruto chuckled a bit and smiled up at her. "We were just talking about how beautiful you are." he teased.

The blue-haired succubus blushed prettily at that and huffed as she turned away. "Well of course. I _am_ the most beautiful girl in this school, after all."

The blonde chuckled a bit more and nodded his head in agreement with her. "That you are. But the others don't seem to agree with us. They're all obsessed with Moka-chan instead. Especially Tsukune. I bet that has to be frustrating for you."

Kurumu sighed and sat down in a chair, pulling it up close to them. "It is. When I first got here, do you know what I did?"

The two seventeen year-old boys shook their heads in the negative. "Nope, nobody's told us a thing about that. Why? Did you do something bad or something?" Naruto questioned curiously.

Nodding her head slowly, the blue-haired succubus explained, "My goal was to entrance all the boys and make them fall all over me. I was desperately seeking my destined one, and to do that, I needed to find the one guy that could resist my charms. But...Moka made that impossible. The guys were already entranced by her beauty and her personality that my plan didn't exactly work that well."

Sighing softly, the beautiful girl shook her head before saying, "I was so jealous of Moka. I still am, actually, but for a different reason now. I used my charm magic on Tsukune-kun and he fell victim as well, believe it or not. But when I tried to kiss him, he resisted my charm magic and stopped me. So I decided that he was my destined one, especially after he protected me from the other Moka. But now? Now I can't keep his attention on me at all. He's so obsessed with Moka that nothing I do to get his attention works on him. It's almost like he doesn't see me at all sometimes."

Gaara frowned at this before looking to his friend. Nodding at each other, he watched as Naruto placed a hand gently on her shoulder. The redhead chose this moment to speak up. "You said your charm magic worked on him at first before he snapped out of it. If your destined one is supposed to be able to resist your charm magic, shouldn't he be someone that can resist it completely? Besides…"

Naruto nodded along with what his best buddy was saying. "I can see how much you're hurting inside, Kurumu-chan. Every time Tsukune ignores you for Moka-chan, it hurts you deeply, whether anyone else realizes it or not. If you truly think he's your destined one, then I'll root for you, okay? But maybe, just maybe...someone else will turn out to be your destined one? As your friend, I just want you to be happy. You're a beautiful person, inside and out, and you deserve the best. I'm not trying to be mean or badmouth Tsukune here, but...well, if he can't see that you're the one he belongs with, then it's his loss. I'm sorry if anything we just said upsets you, but it's just our own opinions of the situation. We both care about you and want you to be happy, with or without Tsukune."

"Thank you both. But Tsukune-kun _is_ my destined one. I truly believe that with all my heart. I just...I wish he loved me. The only person on his mind though is Moka." she said with a sigh. "So what were you two _really_ discussing? Because I doubt you were really talking about my beauty."

Naruto chuckled and nodded his head. "Nobody said we weren't talking about your beauty, but you're right. We _were_ discussing something else." he said with a kind smile on his face. "We're just concerned for Tsukune. This stalker of his might be a problem and there's no telling what she's capable of. Well, we were talking about that and how much of a trouble magnet Tsukune is. I thought I was bad when it came to getting into troublesome situations, but he tops me for sure."

"Tell me about it. Tsukune-kun's always getting into trouble, and sometimes it's hard to keep him safe. Kuyo was the worst of the problems we've faced concerning Tsukune-kun. He...he tried to kill Tsukune-kun. He nearly succeeded too. But...I don't want to talk about that. Not right now at least." Kurumu said. "Instead, why don't you tell me about these troublesome situations you've found yourself in before, Naruto-kun?"

The blonde frowned and shook his head before giving her a sad smile. "I'd really like to Kurumu-chan, but it's top secret stuff. I can't just reveal everything about myself to just anyone. I trust you, I really do, but…"

Kurumu pouted at him and said, "Do I have to use my charm magic to get you to tell me? I'm really curious now!"

Naruto chuckled and shook his head. "You're cute, Kurumu-chan. But I honestly can't tell you. I'm really sorry. It's just that I could get into some really serious trouble if I told anyone about everything I've been up to before coming here."

"I see. Well that just makes me even more curious." she said. After a moment of deliberation, she attempted to use her charm magic on him. "Tell me. I really want to know."

The Kyuubi shook his head no. "Nope. I felt that by the way. You just tried to use your charm magic on me, didn't you? That's cute. Nice attempt, but nope, not gonna happen."

Gaara chuckled and shook his head. "Looks like your charm won't work. Sorry Kurumu."

Kurumu's eyes went wide before she quickly turned and walked away. _No way. He's immune to my charm magic?! Even Tsukune fell for it at first! What does this mean?!_

Naruto looked into Gaara's eyes and frowned. "What do you think all that was about?"

The redhead just smirked at him. "I do believe you've just given her something to think about Naruto. Now, let's get back to work. We need to have these articles finished before we leave."

"Right." Naruto said before losing himself in thought. _I really hope she'll be okay…_

_**The Next Day**_

"What do you mean she hurt Kotsubo-sensei?" Naruto asked as he looked at Moka with a shocked expression on his face. "Why would she do something like that? I highly doubt she just attacked him without a reason."

Moka shook her head. "I don't know why she did it. All I know is that he's in the infirmary recovering from the attack. He claims she just assaulted him out of the blue, but…"

Gaara shook his head. "Despite the fact that she's a little…'off', shall we say, I don't think she's the type of person who is needlessly violent. If I had to fathom a guess, I'd say he did something he shouldn't have. My best guess would be sexual harassment or something of the sort."

Naruto nodded his head in agreement. "I agree. I've never liked Kotsubo-sensei. I always get a bad feeling whenever I'm around him. I wouldn't put him above trying something like that with Mizore."

The pink-haired vampire looked at the two of them in shock. "You really think he's the type of person to try something like that? But he seems so nice!"

The blonde shook his head. "He might seem that way, but trust us when we say that there's something fishy about him. Have you never seen the way that he looks at you girls? They're the eyes of a predator."

Moka frowned as she heard this. "If that's true...then he might have tried something with Mizore, right? She was just defending herself. Then...why would she run and hide?"

Gaara sighed and shook his head. "Because she harmed a teacher. Who would you believe if you didn't know what kind of person Kotsubo-sensei is? The teacher that was the victim of the attack, or his assailant? She knew nobody would believe her, so she ran. I fear that she might be in danger soon…"

Naruto nodded in agreement. "Moka-chan, get the others and come find us when you have them. Gaara and I will go in search of Mizore-chan. Hurry." he said before he and Gaara rushed off to begin their search for the purple-haired girl.

As she watched them leave, Moka couldn't help but frown. _Be careful…_

_**Cliff**_

Gaara frowned as he spotted Mizore standing near a cliff's edge some distance from the academy. Coming to a decision, he approached her and held his hands in the air. "Mizore, my name is Gaara. Then again, you probably already knew that. I promise you that I mean you no harm. I just wanted to find you and make sure you were okay. I want to hear _your_ side of the story about what happened with Kotsubo-sensei. He tried to do something to you, didn't he?"

Mizore stared hard into Gaara's eyes. "I...wasn't expecting you, Gaara. I...was actually hoping it would be Tsukune-kun that came for me." Sighing softly, the Yuki-onna nodded her head slowly. "Kotsubo and I…" Wrapping her arms around herself, she shook her head rapidly for a moment. "I don't want to talk about it."

The redhead walked up to her and pulled her into a gentle hug. "It's okay Mizore. I won't judge you, nor will I let him hurt you. But I need you to open up to me. Tell me what happened and I can help you. I promise."

As Mizore looked into Gaara's eyes, she could just feel the warmth they held. Blushing a bit, she was about to say something when she heard Tsukune shouting her name. Freeing herself from Gaara's embrace, she looked at Tsukune with a smile. "You really _did_ come for me. I hoped you would."

Gaara sighed as he watched Mizore smile at Tsukune. _She's only going to be hurt by him. But...there's really nothing I can do to help her. I have to admit I'm kind of envious. She's probably the most beautiful girl I've ever seen…_

Tsukune frowned as he shouted at her. "Why did you attack Kotsubo-sensei? Did something happen?"

Before she could respond, she heard Kotsubo's voice from behind her. Turning around, she looked the gym teacher in the eyes with a scowl on her face. "I'll tell you why. She and I used to be an item, but she didn't like how I acted. Then she learned about you, Tsukune Aono, and became absolutely obsessed. However, I'm not about to give her up so soon. Besides, I need to pay her back for attacking me like that."

Mizore shouted at him, "Leave me alone! I refuse to let you touch me again! I want nothing to do with you!"

"I'm not giving you up so easily, Mizore-chan." Kotsubo declared as he took on his monster form.

Looking at him, Gaara frowned. _A Kraken, huh? Interesting._ He thought silently as he stepped in front of Mizore, shielding her from the Kraken's gaze. "I'm sorry Kotsubo-sensei, but I'm afraid you won't be laying a single tentacle on her. Should you try, I _will_ crush you."

Naruto chuckled as he appeared next to his friend. "He's not kidding, he really _will_ crush you Kotsubo. I'd recommend giving up and telling everyone the truth, or you're probably gonna die."

Kotsubo scoffed at that and said, "I'm not scared of you two. Besides, I'm a _teacher_. If you try to harm me, you'll just land yourselves in trouble."

"You're wrong there. You see, there are witnesses here that can tell everyone just what kind of monster you really are. And no, I don't mean monster as in what your real form is. Trust me, you're better off surrendering to us now. Otherwise...well, I don't think Gaara's going to be too nice to you." Naruto explained.

Scowling at the two of them, Kotsubo sent one of his tentacles to attack the Ichibi, but sand shot up from the ground and caught him by the tentacle. Without a word, Gaara raised his hand and summoned forth a wall of sand and sent it surging forward towards the Kraken.

Before Kotsubo could escape, he was swallowed up by the sand and lifted into the air. "You will _not_ hurt Mizore-chan again." Gaara said as he clenched his fist. All anyone could hear from the ball of sand was screams as Kotsubo's body was crushed. Throwing down his hand, he returned his sand to the earth and glared at Kotsubo's mangled body. He was still alive, just barely, but he wouldn't be able to continue his job as a teacher, considering how badly mangled his body was.

Tsukune frowned and asked, "Wasn't that a little much?"

Naruto turned to face Tsukune and shook his head as he saw how terrified Tsukune was of them. "There's no reason to fear us Tsukune. We'll protect you and your friends, so long as you let us. And no, that was Gaara being 'gentle'. Kotsubo won't be able to harass any girls here again." Turning to his friend, Naruto patted Gaara on the shoulder and smiled at him. "I'll drag Kotsubo's sorry ass to the headmaster and see what he wants to do about the jerkwad. You check on Mizore-chan."

As his friend approached Kotsubo and threw his mangled body over his shoulder, Gaara turned to Mizore with a small smile on his face. "Mizore-chan...are you okay?"

Mizore looked at him in wonder before slowly nodding her head. "T-thank you Gaara-kun." she said simply.

As the rest of the Newspaper Club arrived, minus Ginei Morioka, Tsukune looked at them for a moment before looking back at Gaara. "I still think what you did was excessive. He didn't need to be mangled like that. If you're _that_ strong, you should have been able to beat him without _destroying_ him like that!"

Moka frowned at Tsukune and said, "Tsukune-kun, he was just protecting Mizore. We saw the whole thing. We shouldn't be upset with him. Gaara-kun didn't kill him."

Yukari nodded along. "Yeah! Kotsubo will live and he'll probably even recover from this eventually. There's no reason to be upset."

Tsukune frowned and shook his head. "How can you just accept that level of violence? It doesn't seem right to me…"

The pink-haired vampire shook her head sadly. "Because we've all seen what real monsters can do. You're still getting used to all the monsters Tsukune-kun, but trust me, other monsters wouldn't be as kind."

"I see…" Tsukune said unsurely. "If...you say so. Then again...Kuyo _was_ worse. He genuinely tried to kill us…"

Gaara sighed and shook his head. "Like I told you before Tsukune, if you'll allow us to protect you, everything will be fine. That invitation extends to your friends in the Newspaper Club as well. So long as Naruto and I are here, you all will be perfectly safe from harm. And...more importantly...I wanted to protect Mizore-chan's smile."

The purple-haired Yuki-onna blushed at this and looked away from Gaara shyly. "T-thank you. But...why me?"

The redhead blushed and looked away from her before mumbling out, "Because you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen…"

The blue-eyed girl stepped closer to him and said, "I couldn't hear you. What did you say Gaara-kun?"

Looking into Mizore's eyes, Gaara's blush deepened as he said, "I...said you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen."

Blushing deeply, the Yuki-onna looked down as she fiddled with her hands. "T-thank you." she said quietly. "You're very sweet, aren't you Gaara-kun?"

Shaking his head, Gaara smiled kindly at her. "I've never been called that before. I'm just...well, I'm honest. I'm really no good at expressing my emotions. But I do, honestly, think you're beautiful. If things don't work out with Tsukune…"

Mizore interrupted him and shook her head. "You know my heart belongs to Tsukune-kun. But...if, for some reason, things don't work out...I wouldn't mind giving you and me a try."

Gaara nodded slowly before he turned and walked away without a word. _He's just going to hurt her…_

The Yuki-onna frowned sadly as she watched Gaara walk away. _He seemed so sad…_ she thought to herself before she shrugged it off and turned to Tsukune. "Thanks for coming for me Tsukune-kun."

_**Infirmary**_

"You got off easy Kotsubo. If he was the old Gaara, he would have simply killed you. I just hope you learn from this experience and become a better person. If not? Well, you _will_ be killed next time." Naruto said as he looked down at the gym teacher.

"Do you really think he'll listen to you Naruto-kun?" Ririko asked as she stepped into the infirmary. "Because I kind of doubt it. Kotsubo's always been a lech."

Naruto sighed and shook his head. "Hell if I know. Not like it matters either way. He won't be harassing anyone for quite a while." he said before he stepped up to Ririko and smiled at her. "Now, what do you say to me treating you to some barbeque?" he suggested with a grin.

"That sounds delightful Naruto-kun. Let's go." she said before taking his hand and walking off with him. _Oh Naruto-kun, I hope you're ready to take the next step soon. I'm tired of taking things slowly…_

_**Gaara**_

Gaara sighed as he stood before the headmaster with Ruby watching the two of them from her position in the room. "I'm sorry if I went too far, Headmaster. I just...I got angry when he threatened Mizore-chan."

The headmaster simply smiled and shook his head. "You were doing your job as a guardian of this academy. There is nothing to apologize for. As for your feelings regarding Miss Shirayuki, have you talked with her yet?"

The redhead sighed and shook his head. "She's in love with Tsukune as well. My feelings wouldn't get through to her now."

"Hmm, I see. And what of Naruto? I do believe he's entered a relationship with Miss Ririko Kagome. And yet he seems interested in young Yukari-chan as well. How will things work in that regard?" the headmaster wondered.

Gaara smiled at the headmaster and decided to explain. "Naruto is the last of his clan and the son of one of Konoha's greatest heroes. He's been placed in something called the CRA, or Clan Restoration Act. But...unfortunately, no girls were ever interested in him back where we're from."

The headmaster's brow quirked upwards underneath his hood. "Oh? And what is this Clan Restoration Act, exactly? Would you care to explain it to me?"

The redhead nodded and proceeded to explain in detail. "The Clan Restoration Act, or CRA for short, is used when a clan is in danger of being wiped out. Or when they wish to breed someone special so that person has many children that could one day be as great as that person is, or was. What the CRA entails is, if you're a man, you will take on multiple wives and bear children with them. If you're a woman...you're used as breeding stock, essentially, to have as many children as you can until you have produced a number of children to your village's liking. It's...rarely used on females though, unless absolutely necessary to prevent a clan from being wiped out. Anyways, Naruto has been instructed to marry at least one girl before his 19th birthday. They want him to be with at least four women, but they'd _prefer_ he marry more than that. After all, Naruto is _powerful_, he's the last of his clan in Konoha, and he's the son of the Yondaime Hokage. Put all of these things together and he makes for the perfect specimen for the CRA."

"And they don't mind the fact that he's a Kyuubi?" the headmaster questioned curiously.

Gaara shook his head in the negative. "Not at all. In fact, that only makes them want him to produce heirs more than ever. His children are bound to be powerful and the greedy bastards in Konoha want to have them under their command."

"Hmm, I see." the headmaster said. "And what of you Gaara-kun? Has the CRA been implemented on you as well?"

Gaara sweatdropped, but nodded his head. "Because I'm the new Ichibi and because I've inherited my father's talent with golden sand and...other reasons, I've been placed in the CRA as well. I'm supposed to take three or more wives according to the council of Suna. They're also trying to groom me for the position of Kazekage, but I doubt the people would accept me as their new Kage. I'm a monster, after all."

"You'd be surprised, Gaara-kun. But thank you for telling me all of this. Sadly for you and Naruto-kun, it would seem the girls that you're interested in are obsessed with Tsukune-kun. You have my sincerest apologies." Tenmei said.

"It's no problem Headmaster. It's...to be expected. I'm afraid it's going to be worse on Naruto. He's more emotional than I am, and it's bound to hurt him that the girls he likes only like Tsukune. But I can promise you that he isn't the jealous sort. He won't act out in an aggressive way. In fact, he's more likely to seclude himself than anything." Gaara explained.

"A shame, then. But at least he has Ririko. That should help, shouldn't it?"

Gaara frowned and shrugged his shoulders. "It _should_, but I'm not sure how well that will help him. He _does_ seem rather fond of Kurumu and Yukari, after all. I think what will make it worse on him is the fact that Tsukune's hurting those two without realizing he is. Tsukune only has eyes for Moka, after all. It may cause Naruto to resent Tsukune. He'd still protect him, but he wouldn't _like_ him."

"I see. Such a shame. I had hoped you two would have befriended him. But…"

"We would...but the problem is Tsukune, Headmaster. He's making it hard for Naruto to befriend him. He seems mostly alright with me, but Naruto has grown close with Moka and Tsukune's jealousy has spiked because of that. I'm worried that Tsukune might lash out sooner or later. Speaking of which, there's something about him you haven't told us, isn't there Headmaster? If you want us to protect him, then we need to know _everything_."

Tenmei Mikogami sighed and shook his head. "I'd rather not tell the story twice. Ruby, go and fetch Naruto-kun. It's time that he and Gaara know the truth about Tsukune and what really happened with Kuyo."

* * *

**A/N - And that's the chapter! Hopefully you all enjoyed it. I know I had fun writing this chapter!**

**As you can see, Naruto has entered a relationship with Ririko Kagome, the math teacher/Lamia. At the same time, he's shown interest in Yukari as well. Meanwhile, Gaara's interested in Mizore Shirayuki. How will things work out there?**

**Also, as I mentioned before, Yukari's age has been upped to 15 years-old. Just a reminder.**

**I can't really think of anything else to say, sooo...hope you enjoyed the chapter and I hope you're looking forward to whatever I work on next!**


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N - Okay, I wanted to update this story, though I don't have an actual reason for it. I just felt like it really. lol**

**Anyways, a lot of you were pleading with me to spare Tsukune, but I really can't understand why. Tsukune is a HORRIBLE character and he's a damn asshole too. I can't understand why he's liked so much by people because I LOATHE the asshole. I hate how he makes Kurumu and Mizore cry, and how he makes them suffer as well. So yeah, there's no way in Hell I would spare him in my story. So if you have a problem with that, then tough.**

**For those of you that actually like Tsukune, just know that you're likely to be upset by the end of the chapter. Again though, I don't care. My story, I get to do what I want.**

**Now, I hope most of you enjoy this chapter. I think it turned out rather well, but I know I'm going to get a lot of backlash for what I did at the end.**

* * *

**Chapter 3 - A Volatile Situation**

Naruto, Gaara, and Ruby could barely believe what they had just heard from Mikogami. "You're telling us he's turned into a damn Ghoul? Isn't this something we should have been told the moment we got here? If he removes that rosary, he could go on some kind of berserk rampage!" Naruto exclaimed, partly due to the shock and the other part because he was a bit angry with the Headmaster for not revealing this information sooner.

Before the Headmaster could say anything, Gaara spoke up, a stern frown on his face. "Naruto is right. Even if this information was on a need to know basis, the two of us **needed** to know. If we're going to keep Tsukune and the girls safe, we need all the information we can get. Now that we know this, we understand things just a bit better. But more importantly, it's important for the two of us to protect Tsukune from himself, just as much from other monsters that might wish to do he and his friends harm."

Tenmei sighed and nodded his head in understanding. "I apologize for keeping that information from you. You are quite right that I should have been more forthcoming with such information to begin with, but at the time, I wasn't quite sure how you would have reacted. I must admit that you _are_ right that he is a danger to himself and those around him. I am worried about one thing in particular right now, though."

Gaara interrupted at this point. "Tsukune's jealousy of Naruto. If Naruto continues to grow closer to Moka, whom Tsukune seems to be quite obsessed with, then there is a chance he may remove the rosary and attempt to kill Naruto just to keep him from going anywhere near Moka. In that case, once he's gone to that point, we will have no choice but to put him down like a rabid dog."

Mikogami sighed and shook his head. "I hope it doesn't come to that. I had hoped dearly that he would be the link that breached the gap between monsters and humans. I'm being honest here that I never expected for things to get as bad as they have. And...I must admit that he has disappointed me on a few occasions, but I've let it slide in an attempt to keep things on track."

Naruto sighed and lowered his gaze to the floor. "I suppose I'll have to distance myself from Moka-chan now. I shouldn't have to, as she's a really good friend, but if it's the only way to keep everyone safe...then so be it."

Ruby placed a gentle hand upon his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. When he turned to her, she smiled kindly at him. "I'm sorry, Naruto. I wish there was another way. But cheer up, you've still got Gaara and me."

The blonde Kyuubi nodded once before smiling slightly at her. "Thank you, Ruby-chan. You've been a good friend to me since we arrived here. It just...hurts that I'm losing a friend because a stupid boy can't handle me being around her. She's crazy about him, but he doesn't seem to see that. All he seems to understand is that someone else is getting close to the girl he loves and he wants to keep that from happening."

Mikogami sighed and nodded his head. "Yes. I'm truly sorry, Naruto-kun. From what I understand, you've been through quite a lot. You have few friends back home, and here you seem to be making plenty of friends with your fellow monsters. You're even in a romantic relationship with Miss Ririko. Normally I wouldn't permit such a thing, but you two are truly happy together, and I didn't feel the need to come between the both of you. Still, I understand that you must be in pain because of this. It isn't fair to you."

"It's fine. I'm used to life being unfair to me. Doesn't mean it doesn't hurt, but I _am_ familiar with things not going the way I hope they would. I just hope Moka understands why we can't spend time with each other anymore."

Gaara frowned and said, "If need be, I can talk with her and explain the situation. It's a delicate matter, and she deserves to know why you'll be avoiding her. She seems like such a nice person that I'm sure she'll be a bit upset, but I hope she will understand your predicament."

"Thanks Gaara." Naruto said, smiling at his dear friend. "Anyways…" Looking at Mikogami one more time, he asked, "Is there anything else we should know? Or anything specifically you would like us to do for you?"

"No. That will be all. Do take care of yourselves, and keep me informed of the situation regarding Tsukune. If I can help in any way, please don't hesitate to ask me for assistance."

"Of course, Headmaster. Take care of yourself and see ya later." Naruto said with a smile and a wave before he left the office. However, those remaining in the office could tell it was a fake smile.

"It would seem you were right, Gaara-kun. It truly is impossible for Tsukune and Naruto to bond and be friends. That's disappointing." Mikogami said.

Gaara nodded slowly, but chose to leave without a word in response. Ruby turned and bowed to the Headmaster before she quickly hurried after her friends. Once he was alone in his office, Mikogami turned to stare out the window of his office and muttered quietly to himself, "I just hope Moka is understanding and doesn't try to push things with Naruto-kun. It won't end well…"

_**Newspaper Club - Later that day**_

Gin frowned as he noticed something strange about how a few of the members were acting. Looking between Naruto and Moka, he could just tell that something strange was going on. So, deciding to get to the bottom of this, he walked over to Naruto, who was currently sitting by himself as far away from Moka as he could get. "Yo, Naruto!" he greeted, waving at him with a disarming smile on his face.

Naruto blinked for a moment, in shock that Gin was actually talking to him. Normally they kind of just ignored each other. Looking into the werewolf's eyes, he asked, "Gin? What's up?"

Gin sat down in front of Naruto and looked him hard in the eyes for a time. After taking some time to get his thoughts together, he asked, "What's the deal with you and Moka-chan? Something's obviously wrong, so why don't you tell me what it is?"

The blonde monster sighed and glanced towards Moka for a brief moment before looking back into Gin's eyes. "Tsukune's jealous of how close Moka-chan and I have been getting. We're only friends, but he can't deal with it. Come with me and I'll explain the big problem." he said before rising from his seat and leaving the classroom.

Once Gin caught up to him, the Kyuubi led him outside and began to explain the situation. "Gaara and I have been hired to keep the students of Yokai Academy safe from harm. Tsukune and his friends are our main targets, and it doesn't help that they're pretty much a magnet for trouble. Sadly, this means we have to protect Tsukune not just from others, but from himself as well. We know he's been turned into a Ghoul."

Sighing softly, Naruto looked into the darkened sky and continued. "I'm distancing myself from Moka-chan so Tsukune's jealousy will hopefully subside. If he gets to the breaking point and he removes that rosary of his in an effort to remove me from the picture...we might not have any other choice but to kill him. It's just another way to protect everyone, even if it hurts to lose a friend thanks to an insecure asshole."

The werewolf nodded a couple of times in understanding. "I kind of suspected as much. You and Gaara don't give off the vibe of regular old students. That, and you're in the Newspaper Club and all of Tsukune's classes, so it wasn't hard to piece it all together. Still, thank you for confirming it for me, Naruto. Though you really shouldn't have to distance yourself from Moka-chan just because Tsukune's getting jealous. Still, I understand your decision, and I'll respect it. But if Moka-chan starts to hurt because of this, I _will_ take some kind of action. She cares for you as one of her newest and best of friends. You can't just avoid her forever."

The blue-eyed teen nodded his head slowly. "I know. Believe me, I _know_. It hurts me to do this to her, but until Tsukune can rein himself in and stop his crap, I don't know what else I can do."

The green-eyed werewolf sighed and punched Naruto lightly in the shoulder. "You know as well as I do by now how insecure Tsukune is. If another guy starts getting close to Moka-chan, he gets jealous and starts to doubt himself as well. It's stupid because she's obviously crazy about him, but he doesn't seem to realize that. Either that or he just doesn't care. It's almost as if Moka's his possession rather than his potential girlfriend. Hell, I tried to make people turn against Tsukune by making him seem like a pervert that enjoys peeping on girls when they're changing or something so I could take Moka-chan for myself. Didn't work. She believed in him even then and was so happy when he was proven innocent."

Naruto gave Ginei a dry look and said, "I'm not surprised you'd do something like that Ginei. But thank you for that." Naruto chuckled a bit while Ginei simply shrugged, not at all caring if Naruto's opinion of him dropped a bit lower.

"Point I'm trying to make is that Tsukune needs to get over himself and trust in Moka. Right now, he's only thinking about himself and his feelings. He's blind to the feelings of those around him, _especially_ Moka's. Doesn't help that he's got all these other hotties pining after him and he doesn't give them the time of day usually. Damned bastard."

The whiskered young man sweatdropped at Ginei's behavior before reaching up and gently patting him on the head like one would a child or a dog. "It'll be okay, Gin. And I'm glad we're both in agreement about Tsukune, despite how you worded it. Tsukune kinda pisses me off, so I understand your dislike of him very well."

Ginei simply shrugged and motioned for Naruto to follow him. "Yeah, well it's nice to have a buddy to talk to about stuff like this sometimes. Anyways, we should get back and continue working on our articles. Gotta have them ready for the paper soon, after all."

"True. And Gin?" When Gin glanced over his shoulder at Naruto, the blonde smiled kindly at him. "Thanks."

The werewolf waved his hand dismissively and said, "Don't mention it. You're my friend and I'm happy to do what I can for those precious to me."

Hearing this caused Naruto to smile, proud to be friends with the guy in front of him. _You're a good guy, Gin. A pervert that's almost on the level of Jiraiya, but you're a good guy._

As they entered the club room, everyone looked at them for a moment before the two males shrugged and retook their seats. Kurumu took this moment to walk over to Naruto and ask, "What were the two of you up to for so long? Nothing perverted, I hope."

Naruto gave Kurumu a dry look for a moment before he released a sigh and shook his head. Returning his attention to his article, he said, "Nothing of the sort. I'm disappointed that you'd think so little of me, Kurumu-chan. We were just having a chat."

"About what?" she asked curiously. "I didn't think Gin was such a conversationalist."

"Believe it or not, Gin's actually a pretty good guy once you get to know him. A pervert, yes, but he's a pretty nice guy. As for the topic of our conversation, that's going to remain a secret for now." Naruto said as he resumed work on his article.

Kurumu was silent for a while before she eventually lowered her head and said, "Sorry...Naruto. I shouldn't have been so rude."

When Naruto simply shrugged and said, "It's fine.", Kurumu pouted and poked him.

"Still, I shouldn't have doubted you. You've been nothing but nice to me and the others since you got here, and you've never tried anything perverted before either. You seem like a perfect gentleman. You and Gaara both, actually. And yet...we barely know you. You two are enigmas, but…"

"I understand, Kurumu-chan. Sorry...if we seem a bit distant from you and the others. We come from a place where secrets are pretty darn common. If certain secrets got out, it could cause chaos or even wars to break out. Unfortunately, Gaara and I can't really talk about where we're from to you or anyone else. But you should know that you and the others can trust us. We'll keep you and your friends safe from now on so nothing like the Kuyo incident will ever happen again. Trust me when I say we can handle any threats that might come our way."

"It almost sounds like you're here to protect us rather than to simply attend school." Kurumu said, eyeing him suspiciously.

Naruto chuckled a bit and winked at her. "Who says it can't be both?"

"Okay, now you're really making me suspicious. Stop dodging my questions and just tell me already!" she exclaimed with a pout soon appearing on her face.

Smiling at her, he said, "Let's just say the Headmaster invited Gaara and me here for a reason. That's all I'll say." And with that, he made a shooing motion with his hand before returning his attention to his article.

Pouting just a bit more, Kurumu would have considered using her Charm magic on him to get the answers she wanted, but he had already proven to her that he was immune to it. That fact had really shaken her up and made her begin questioning her beliefs.

Walking away from Naruto, Kurumu returned to her seat and resumed work on her own article for the paper. _I never expected to find someone that was perfectly immune to my Charm magic. I...I thought my destined one was Tsukune. Was I wrong…?_

Meanwhile, Moka couldn't help but glance over at Naruto with a small frown on her face. _Why are you avoiding me, Naruto-kun? Did I do something wrong?_

Tsukune, seeing where Moka was looking, scowled to himself before speaking up. "Moka-chan, mind helping me with my article?"

The pink-haired vampire looked at her love interest and nodded. "Sure Tsukune-kun!"

_Stay away from Moka-chan, Naruto._ Tsukune thought as he shot a glare at Naruto.

Seeing this out of the corner of his eye, the teenage Kyuubi sighed and shook his head in disappointment. _Screw you, Tsukune. You can go rot in the deepest pits of Hell._

_Well, _this_ is turning into a hell of a shitstorm._ Gaara thought to himself as he watched on. _Even trying to keep his distance from Moka and Tsukune, Tsukune _still_ finds reasons to be jealous of him. This mission's already bound to be a failure at this rate._

_**Two Weeks Later**_

When Tsukune was announced the class manager for Nekonome's class, Naruto sighed and shook his head in disbelief. _These people really don't understand that he's actually really weak, do they? He came to this school as a regular ol' Human. Powerless, even now. The only way he can harness any kind of power is if he releases the Ghoul inside of him. If he does that, however, he might never come back from that state, even with the power of the rosary._

Gaara looked between his friend and Tsukune and shook his head. _This just paints a bigger target on Tsukune's back. I really wish rumors hadn't spread about him supposedly being some strong monster that's taken down everyone that's ever attacked him. He was even getting credit for what happened with Mizore-chan. I can see why Naruto hates him so much._

Their fears were proven to be well-founded as a brute known as Saizou entered the classroom and began badmouthing Tsukune and talking about how he was actually a damn weakling and crap like that. They didn't really care what he was saying, only that he was going to be a problem that they'd need to deal with soon enough.

Looking into one another's eyes, Gaara and Naruto nodded as one before a tendril of sand ensnared Saizou's ankle and he was lifted upside-down into the air.

Caught off guard by this, the large monster began to scream as he was swung around at a high speed. When the tendril of sand smashed him face first into the floor, he groaned out pitifully as he struggled to try and get to his feet again.

When Tsukune saw this happen, he wasn't sure how to feel. The last time he had seen Gaara's powers in action, he had been quite displeased with the sand user. This time, however, he was feeling thankful, though he didn't want to show it as he still didn't trust Gaara one bit. He didn't trust Naruto either, for that matter.

Sadly, everyone thought Tsukune had been the one to thrash Saizou like that. As they began to chant his name and praise him for what he had just done to one of the school bullies, Gaara grumbled to himself. "I do the work and he gets all the credit. I shouldn't let it get to me, but it's _very_ annoying."

Naruto patted his friend on the shoulder and said, "Don't let it get to you. If it helps, I kinda know the feeling."

Gaara quirked a brow and looked into his friend's eyes. "You do? How so?"

"Remember when we fought?" Seeing the redhead nod, Naruto said, "Well, the council knew I was the one to have defeated you. However, the civilians refused to believe that I was the one to save the village and chase off the big bad Ichibi container. They all began to praise Sasuke, that rotten asshole that tried to kill both of us. It didn't help that he took all the credit for beating you. So yeah, I know the feeling _very_ well."

Before Gaara could reply, Mizore could be heard asking, "What are you two whispering about over here?"

"Mizore-chan?" Gaara questioned as he looked at his crush. "Um...we're not really saying much. Just talking about the lives we had back where we're from, really."

"Liar." Mizore said. "Anyways, thanks for standing up for Tsukune-kun in your own way. I'm sure the others appreciate it too."

The redhead sighed, but nodded his head. "You're welcome. Go on and go back to your little boyfriend."

As Mizore nodded and walked off to go and try to get Tsukune's attention, Naruto turned to Gaara and winced in sympathy for him. "Ouch man. That has to hurt. I know it hurts when I see Yukari-chan and Kurumu-chan fawning over him the way they do."

"It does?" they heard Yukari ask. "W-Why?"

Naruto and Gaara frowned at each other before the blonde turned to Yukari and said, "Sorry, I didn't mean for you to hear that. It's really nothing, I promise. You...should go spend time with your friends, Yukari-chan. We'll be okay."

The fifteen year-old Witch frowned as she looked between the two of them. After a moment to make her decision, she looked hard into Naruto's eyes and said, "Please tell me what you meant by that, Naruto-kun. Nothing will change between us if you tell me. I promise."

Naruto sighed and closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to look at her. "If you really want to know, it's because I like you two, okay? As in _like you_ like you. But I know your hearts have settled for Tsukune, so I have no plans to act on any feelings or anything I may have. So please, go and spend some time with your friends, Yukari-chan."

Yukari started blushing, unsure about what to say. After a brief while though, she said, "I-I'm sorry...Naruto-kun. I didn't know. I'll just...leave you alone."

As she walked away, Naruto banged his head against his desk once, letting out a slight groan afterwards. "Fuck me."

Gaara frowned and place a gentle hand upon his best friend's shoulder. "Like you told me, it'll be okay. Might take some time, but we'll get over them, I'm sure of it."

"Yeah...maybe. Still sucks though."

The redhead chuckled softly and nodded in agreement. "Yes. Yes it does."

_**After School**_

Naruto and Gaara let out matching sighs as they watched Saizou confront both Tsukune and Moka as they were taking care of something for the Newspaper Club. "I swear, he gets into more troublesome situations than I ever did." Naruto said.

Nodding his head in agreement, Gaara looked down below again to see that Saizou and his 'friends' were preparing to attack. When they saw how one of the monsters, calling themselves the Outcast Ayashi, started sneaking up on Tsukune, preparing to attack, Naruto grumbled to himself before disappearing from his spot in the tree.

When the speedy member of the Outcast Ayashi got in close to Tsukune, Naruto appeared in front of him with his fist buried in the teen's gut. The young man spat up blood onto the ground before stumbling backwards, coughing from the pain.

Saizou and the other Outcast Ayashi glared at the blonde Kyuubi and shouted out, "Who the hell are you?! What the hell do you think you're doing here?!"

Naruto glanced over his shoulder at Saizou and began to chuckle darkly. "Sorry Saizou and Peon #2. You've caught me in a bad mood." Looking at Tsukune and Moka, he nodded his head in the direction of the school. "Tsukune, Moka, get going. I'll handle this."

Tsukune looked a bit unsure, but when he felt Moka grab his hand and tug him along, he began following her back towards the school, leaving Naruto to deal with the Outcast Ayashi on his own.

Saizou growled as he transformed into his monster form and took a swing at the blonde Kyuubi. Without looking at him, Naruto released his illusion and smacked Saizou's fist away with one of his many tails. Afterwards, the other two monsters tried to attack him, only for Naruto to call forth two Shadow Clones. "You two know what to do."

The clones nodded and quickly went about fighting the two peons, whose names he didn't know nor care to learn. Turning to Saizou, Naruto took a few steps towards him before disappearing in a burst of speed. The newest member of the Outcast Ayashi looked around in a panic, trying to find the speedy Kyuubi. However, before he could spot him, he felt something drilling into his back, causing him to scream out in agony as he was sent flying through a number of trees.

"Good ol' Rasengan." Naruto said with a sadistic smirk on his face. "You three should just give up, lest I lose my patience and just kill you."

Meanwhile, up above on the school roof was another Outcast Ayashi watching the scene unfolding below. "Saizou was right. Tsukune can't do anything on his own, can he? Still, this Naruto Uzumaki is picking a fight he just can't win. We'll deal with him soon enough."

"Oh will you now?" Gaara questioned from behind the Ayashi. "I'm afraid you're going to be far too busy trying to defend yourself."

The scarred Ayashi went wide-eyed as he turned to stare at the monster that had snuck up on him. "How the hell?! Where the fuck'd you come from?!"

Instead of answering, Gaara simply smirked as the Ayashi was soon covered up to his neck in sand. Slowly squeezing it tighter to the point the short-haired monster began to scream in agony, the redhead decided to interrogate the Outcast.

"What do you and your allies want?"

Snarling at the sand-user, Midou spit at him. "Why the fuck should I tell you?!"

Gaara sighed and began squeezing harder, listening as the Ayashi began to scream, Gaara soon stopped and said, "If you don't tell me, I'll simply kill you. It's as simple as that. So if you value your life at all, you'll answer my questions."

The Ayashi stared at Gaara, trying to determine if he was bluffing or not. When he looked into Gaara's eyes, he swore he could feel the chill of death creeping over him. "S-Shit! Fine, I'll tell you! Just promise you won't kill me!"

"Very good. Now, how many of you are there and what is it you're really after?"

_**Naruto**_

As Saizou charged him again, Naruto couldn't help but sigh in annoyance. "You just don't learn, do you Saizou?"

As the Ayashi neared him, Naruto coated his hand in wind-nature chakra and thrusted his hand forward as he would a spear. When his hand pierced clean through Saizou's stomach and out of his back, Naruto stared coldly into his eyes and said, "Just die, Saizou. You're a bully that tries to pick on those weaker than you. I hate people like you."

Removing his hand from Saizou's stomach, he watched as the monster collapsed to the ground, his blood pooling around him. Looking towards the other two Ayashi, Naruto narrowed his eyes and asked, "What about you two? Still want to continue? Or are you ready to give up and run away like the cowards you are?"

The speedy Ayashi snarled and dashed around Naruto in an attempt to confuse him with his speed. Unfortunately for him, Naruto was easily tracking his every move while continuing to keep an eye on the other Ayashi as well. When the Ayashi known as Moroha tried to attack Naruto from the side, the Kyuubi simply turned and in one quick motion lopped off both of Moroha's arms at the elbow.

As Moroha collapsed to his knees and began to scream his head off from the insane amount of pain he was feeling, Naruto looked to the unnamed peon and began stepping towards him slowly, causing the teen to panic. "L-Leave me alone! I'm s-s-sorry!"

When the peon ran away as quickly as he could, Naruto turned back to look at Saizou and Moroha. "I don't enjoy killing, but I recognize it's necessary at times. You two were a threat that needed to be neutralized. That, and you just caught me at a _very_ bad time."

Moroha began to sob at the loss of his arms. "W-Why? Why would you do this to me?!"

Looking down at Moroha, Naruto released a heavy sigh and shook his head. "I'm one of this school's new guardians. It's my job to deal with punks like you when you rear your ugly heads. And I take my job **very** seriously. Now, if you run towards the school, you might just reach the nurse's office in time to get the help you need to survive. Though the quality of life you'll live from this point forward likely won't be the same as you're used to. After all, without your arms, you're going to have a _very_ difficult time trying to do anything."

"Y-You're a damn sadist! Why don't you just kill me like you did him?! How am I supposed to live like this?!"

"Maybe I am a sadist at times. My life hasn't been a pleasant one and I'm sick of dealing with all the shit I've had to put up with. So if I'm a little sadistic at times, it's a result of the way I grew up. It's only natural my personality might be a little fucked up. Anyways, if you desire it, I will end your life here and now. It would be a small mercy, I suppose." Naruto said, sounding rather apathetic to the entire situation.

Moroha scowled, but nodded his head slowly. "I'd rather die than live like this. But you'd best be prepared. The other Outcasts will come after you for this attack, and you'll regret ever fucking with us!"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders before firing a single wind bullet through Moroha's brain. After he collapsed to the ground next to Saizou, Naruto walked over to a tree and sat down against it. Raising up his non-bloody hand, he began to massage the bridge of his nose to try and stem off a rising headache. "They're welcome to try. I just wish I didn't have to do things like this. Killing someone always makes me feel like a true monster…"

"Then why do it?" he heard Ruby ask from behind him. Looking at her as she sat down beside him, Naruto frowned for a moment before looking down at his blood-covered hand.

"My village trained me to be the ultimate weapon. I've had to kill far too often for my liking and it's always troubling. You'd think I'd have grown numb to it by now, but…"

Ruby sighed and wrapped her arms around Naruto, not at all caring about the blood on him. "That just goes to show that you're still a really good person, Naruto-kun. Why don't you tell me about your past? Even if you can't bring yourself to tell me _everything_, it might help to get some of this off your chest. It sounds like you've been through a lot."

Naruto sighed softly before looking up at the sky. "Maybe...it will help. Alright, Ruby-chan, I'll tell you a little about myself. I can't reveal everything, but I'll tell you a bit about me and my past."

As they talked, they didn't notice when Gaara appeared in the tree above them, staring down at the two of them. As he listened in on their conversation, he couldn't help but smile a bit. _Hopefully this will help him a bit. He needs to unload all of his burdens on someone or he'll go insane._

_**Later**_

"Wait, so you're telling me that you're interested in both Yukari-chan and Kurumu? Wow. That can't be easy." Ruby said as she sat with him in his dorm room.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders and said, "Yeah. They're both crazy about Tsukune, and it definitely hurts, especially when Tsukune barely gives them the time of day. He's so obsessed with Moka-chan that he doesn't really notice how the other girls feel."

"I've noticed. Still, I'm sorry you have to deal with that. Especially having to distance yourself from Moka. That can't be easy either."

"It's not. She's a good friend and I'm stuck because Tsukune's a jealous idiot." Sighing softly, he motioned towards his bloody clothes and arm. "Anyways, I'm going to wash up. You're welcome to stay here for a while and check things out, but I don't really have much." he said before he walked to his room to get some clothes before going to get a shower.

After he left, Ruby rested her chin in her palm and sighed. "Poor guy. It really can't be easy being interested in girls that are crazy about another guy. It has to hurt even more to see them shunned the way they are by said guy."

"Indeed." Gaara said as he stepped out of the shadows of one of the corners in the room. Ruby jumped and squeaked in surprise, causing the sand user to chuckle a bit. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you like that. I just didn't want to ruin the conversation between the two of you."

"I-It's fine. Just try not to scare me out of my skin or something anymore." Ruby said, giggling a bit afterwards. "Anyways, how've you been Gaara-kun?"

The redhead shrugged and walked towards the kitchen to begin preparing some tea for the three of them. "I've been alright. Though like Naruto, I've got a crush on a girl that's crazy about Tsukune as well. So I understand his pain quite well."

"Oh? Who are you interested in?" she questioned curiously.

"Mizore Shirayuki." he answered simply. "She's beautiful and I have a hard time getting her out of my mind sometimes. But, like with Naruto, it's just not meant to be." he stated with a sigh.

After Gaara set the tea kettle down on the table and passed Ruby a teacup, he went about pouring the both of them some tea. "I'm guessing you're interested in Tsukune as well?"

Ruby smiled and shook her head. "No, I'm not. Sure he's cute, but I'm just not interested in him. I'm just trying to enjoy my time here at the school with my friends, namely you and Naruto-kun. It's been nice spending time with the both of you."

"I'm glad to hear it. I'm sure Naruto would appreciate hearing that as well. We do enjoy your company, after all."

A short while later, Naruto emerged from the bathroom clad in a pair of pants, but no shirt. Ruby couldn't help but blush a bit as she saw Naruto's shirtless form. "Wow." she muttered quietly to herself.

Gaara chuckled a bit and shook his head in amusement. "Yes, girls here seem to enjoy seeing him like this. Seems you're no exception."

Ruby blushed worse and shook her head. "It's not like that! I was just caught off guard, is all. Besides, it's not like I have a crush on him or anything."

Chuckling just a bit more, Gaara nodded his head and said, "I know. It's easy enough to tell that you're not interested in him romantically, even for the two of us."

The Witch smiled at Gaara in thanks. "Thanks for understanding, Gaara-kun. Anyways, I need to ask you two something. Was it really necessary to kill those three?"

"Ah, so you know about the one I dealt with? Impressive. But yes, sometimes death is necessary for people like that. If it helps ease your conscience any, Midou admitted that if Saizou had survived the encounter, the Outcast Ayashi, as they call themselves, would have killed him anyways for pulling such a stunt. The other two we killed, Midou and Moroha? Like I said, sometimes death is necessary to prevent others from being hurt."

Ruby nodded her head in understanding. "Believe me, I know that well enough after spending enough time with my former mistress. My hands aren't clean, either. Still, Tsukune and the others might not understand…"

"It's fine. So long as we can keep them safe from harm, along with every other student and teacher here, we'll be okay, even if Tsukune and the girls hate us for our methods." Naruto said as he walked back into the room and sat down beside Ruby. Picking up his teacup, he took a sip before breathing a sigh of contentment. "Great as always, Gaara. Thank you."

"Of course, Naruto. And yes, we understand the risks involved and we're willing to accept them, even if it means Tsukune and the girls hate us. It would hurt, definitely, but we will simply deal with it if we have to and move on." Gaara said with a small smile on his face that didn't quite reach his eyes.

Ruby pouted a bit before she reached out and squeezed their hands with hers to show her support. "If nothing else, you'll still have me. I won't abandon you two simply because you've killed to protect us."

"Thanks, Ruby-chan." Gaara said, giving her hand a squeeze as well. "We appreciate that. You make for good company."

Naruto grinned and said, "Yep! You're a great friend, Ruby-chan, and we really enjoy your company."

Blushing a little, Ruby simply giggled to herself before offering them both a beatific smile. "I'm really glad you think so. I really enjoy spending time with both of you, so it makes me happy to know you appreciate my company as much as you do."

After that, they began to make idle conversation about pretty much whatever they could think of to talk about. When it was finally time for Ruby and Gaara to leave and return to their own dorm rooms, Naruto saw them out with a smile on his face. "Thanks Ruby-chan."

"Hm? What for, Naruto-kun?" she asked, turning around to face him.

"For being there for me after I killed those two. You really helped settle my nerves. So...if you ever need anything, please don't hesitate to call for me, okay?"

Ruby smiled at him and nodded her head. However, before she could say anything, they heard Tsukune ask, "What do you mean you _killed_ them? What kind of monster are you?!"

Turning to look at Tsukune, they saw that he had likely just arrived and was preparing to open his door when he heard what Naruto and the other two were talking about.

Naruto sighed and shook his head. "I neutralized a threat, Tsukune. They were going to kill _you_, after all. If I hadn't done what I did, they would have simply continued to threaten you, your friends, and everyone else at this school."

Before Tsukune could reply, Gaara said, "Are you going to be angry with me, as well? I killed one of those Ayashi as well."

Tsukune looked visibly sickened by this admission before he turned and opened his door. However, before he entered, he looked at the three of them and said, "I won't let you anywhere near me or my friends again. You two are _beyond_ sick!" And with that, he entered his room and slammed the door shut behind him.

Sighing heavily, Naruto shook his head and said, "Well, that could have gone better. Now he's going to become even more of a pain in the ass. Wonderful."

Ruby sighed as well and took her friends' hands in hers again. "It'll be okay. You'll still have me and your other friends on your side."

"Thanks, Ruby-chan." Naruto said, sounding saddened by whatever he was imagining in that moment.

Gaara frowned and said, "Thank you. But...it's still going to hurt."

"I know. Which is why I'll be here for you two for as long as you need me."

_I _really_ hate you Tsukune._ Naruto thought to himself before he reentered his dorm room and shut the door behind him.

_**The Next Day**_

As Gaara and Naruto entered their homeroom class together, they weren't shocked to see all the looks sent their way. It was obvious that Tsukune had already spread the word around that the two of them had killed Saizou and his friends. "Damn, look at 'em. I wouldn't want to fuck with them, that's for sure." a male student said to his buddy in the seat next to him.

"It's not like anyone's really going to miss Saizou and those Ayashi people besides maybe their parents." a female student said with a shrug of her shoulders. "If you ask me, Saizou had it coming for a long time."

Tsukune was in shock at what he was hearing. He knew he was in a school full of monsters, but this was just too much! How could they be taking the news of Saizou's death so easily?!

Moka, seeing how Tsukune was reacting to all of this, tapped him on the shoulder and asked, "Tsukune-kun? Are you alright?"

Turning to stare into Moka's eyes, Tsukune whispered loudly to her, "No, I'm not okay! Those two _killed_ people and the other people in this school don't seem to care one bit! It's _wrong_!"

Kurumu frowned at her supposed destined one and said, "Things work differently with monsters than they do humans, Tsukune-kun. Besides, Saizou and his friends were going to try and _kill_ you. I'd say Naruto-kun and Gaara-kun did the right thing."

"Not you too, Kurumu! How can you be on _their_ side?" Tsukune snapped at her.

The beautiful succubus recoiled in shock at seeing this before she looked over to Naruto and Gaara, who had just taken their seats in the back of the class. "I'm...not, Tsukune-kun. I'm just saying that they protected you and Moka and shouldn't be ostracized because of it. I...I don't even know what to say anymore…" she said, sounding genuinely depressed. _Tsukune-kun…_

Moka frowned, but soon stood up and walked over to Naruto, bowing to him. "Thank you, Naruto-kun, for protecting us yesterday. I know what you did can't have been easy, but...I'm still very thankful for you protecting Tsukune-kun and me."

Tsukune was in total shock at this and wasn't sure what he should say or do in response to this. His precious Moka-chan was _thanking_ Naruto for killing someone! _You fucking _bastard_! Now you're even corrupting Moka-chan?!_ He thought angrily to himself.

Naruto gave Moka a sad smile and said, "I'm just glad I was able to protect the both of you. You're a dear friend to me, Moka-chan."

Moka frowned at this and asked, "Then...why have you been avoiding me lately? Did I do something to upset you, Naruto-kun?"

The blonde cast a glance over at Tsukune and shook his head sadly as he turned back to face Moka. "No...Moka-chan. You didn't do anything at all." Motioning for her to come closer, he leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Tsukune...has been getting really jealous of me for spending time with you. I just didn't want to cause any problems for you and your friends, especially considering you like Tsukune as much as you do."

Moka frowned as she glanced back at Tsukune to see him glaring at Naruto and clenching his fists tightly at his sides. Looking back into Naruto's eyes, she whispered back, "Tsukune-kun doesn't own me. He can't decide who I choose to be friends with. I want to spend time with you, Naruto-kun, because you're my friend. I have a lot of fun talking with you, and you're really nice too."

Naruto sighed and shook his head sadly. "I have fun talking with you too, Moka-chan. I really enjoy your company. But I don't want to cause a rift between you and Tsukune. You two really care for each other and I'd feel horrible if I came between that for any reason."

The pink-haired vampire frowned at this, but nodded reluctantly in understanding. "Okay, Naruto-kun. But I still want to spend time with you, so please...will you stop avoiding me?"

The blue-eyed teen looked into Moka's eyes and, after a moment to think on it, he nodded with a small smile appearing on his face. "Of course, Moka-chan. But I can't guarantee anything if Tsukune's around at the time. He...seems rather possessive of you."

Before she could say anything in response, Gaara decided to make his two cents known. "He's right, you know. Tsukune does behave like you're his possession, especially when it comes to you spending time with other guys. He's really insecure and doesn't seem to think about how you and the others feel. If you want to remain friends with Naruto, you might want to talk to Tsukune about his issues."

Moka sighed and looked back at Tsukune before offering him a smile. Turning back to Naruto and Gaara, she said, "I will. And Naruto-kun? Thanks again."

After Moka returned to her friends, Tsukune asked, "Moka-chan, how could you just talk with them like they never did anything horrible?! You shouldn't be thanking them for killing people!"

The green-eyed vampire frowned at Tsukune and said, "Tsukune-kun, what they did was a bit extreme, but they were only trying to help. Would you rather they have done nothing and left us to die, or worse, at Saizou's hands?"

"It's still wrong, Moka-chan. They aren't even showing any remorse for what they've done!"

Moka sighed and shook her head in disbelief. "Yes they are, Tsukune-kun. You may not see it, but killing others _does_ bother them. You can see it in their eyes. They're putting on a strong front so as not to worry others, but it's really easy to see how it bothers them, _especially_ Naruto-kun."

Tsukune turned his attention back to the two murderers before scoffing. "If you say so, Moka-chan. I don't trust them though, and you shouldn't either. They're the true definition of what a monster is."

Moka could only sigh in disappointment at this before shooting a glance at her two newest friends. She didn't say another word, simply choosing to turn her attention to Nekonome-sensei and listen as she began speaking to the class.

"As many of you have already heard, Saizou Komiya and a couple of other students were found dead yesterday evening. Their killers have already been identified as Naruto Uzumaki and Gaara, but the Headmaster has decided against punishing them. He didn't explain why this is, but I don't want anyone questioning the Headmaster's decision. Also, please don't harass Naruto-kun and Gaara-kun about this. They are entitled to their privacy and their secrets."

Most of the students seemed okay with this, but Tsukune couldn't help but scowl deeper. _Even the Headmaster's on their side?! What the hell is wrong with these people?! They really are a bunch of monsters!_

Yukari couldn't help but look between Tsukune and Naruto & Gaara with a frown on her face. She wasn't sure how she should feel or what she should do. Not only had Naruto confessed he has feelings for her, but he _killed_ someone that was threatening to harm her Tsukune-kun and Moka-chan. Tsukune seemed really uncomfortable with it, but she was thankful to the two of them for protecting her two most precious people. However, she cared for Tsukune a great deal and wanted to do something to help him come to terms with everything, but…

Sighing to herself, Yukari lowered her head and could feel tears welling up in her eyes. She was so confused and frustrated by everything that she really didn't know how to feel. _Tsukune-kun… Naruto-kun…_

_**Later that day**_

Moka frowned as she walked around in search of Naruto. She really wanted to talk to him, but he was nowhere to be found. She had looked all over inside the school and the dorms and so far she hadn't had any luck in finding him.

What Moka didn't know is that Tsukune was following her from a good distance, trying to make sure she wasn't looking for who he thought she was. _Moka-chan, just what are you doing?_

Leaving the school grounds, she began searching the forest for any sign of him. When she finally found him, Naruto was sitting down on the edge of a cliff, overlooking the water far below. He seemed to be lost in thought as he didn't react at all to her presence.

Stepping up to Naruto, she bent over and looked at him to see that he had his eyes closed. What was strange to her was that he had an orange pigmentation around his eyes. _Naruto-kun? Just what are you doing?_

Naruto opened a single eye and looked into Moka's face. "Something I can help you with, Moka-chan?" he questioned, causing her to jump and clutch at her chest, trying to still her rapidly beating heart.

Pouting at him, she said, "Don't scare me like that, Naruto-kun!" Calming herself, she kneeled down beside him and looked into his eye, seeing that his pupil had changed and looked like that of a toad's. "You look...different. What are you doing?"

Opening his other eye, he offered her a smile. "I'm meditating. By becoming one with nature, I can enter a state known as Sage Mode. It took me a few months to truly master it, but it was certainly worth the time. It feels great to be one with nature like this, and it improves my already monstrous strength to an insane level. I could go into a detailed explanation of its uses and what makes it so special and all that, but I don't feel like it at the moment." he admitted with a casual shrug of his shoulders. "Anyways, what brings you out here?"

Moka smiled at him and gave him a warm hug. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You really seemed down earlier and I was worried that you were upset. Are you alright?"

Naruto sighed and shook his head. "Like I said before, Moka-chan, it's best that we avoid having too much contact with each other. Tsukune's likely to get more and more jealous if he sees us spending time together. I know you like him and all, but he really rubs me the wrong way. Still, I'll protect him just as I'm trying to protect you and the others. I don't want you to lose the man you're falling for."

Moka blushed prettily, but before she could say anything in response, Tsukune stepped closer to them and shouted, "I thought I told you to stay away from Moka-chan! Leave her alone, Naruto!"

The Kyuubi sighed and shook his head in apparent disbelief. "I should have told you that he followed you. Sorry, Moka-chan. You should probably go to him and try to talk him down before he does something he regrets."

The green-eyed vampire pouted slightly at this before she looked at Tsukune. Standing up, she started walking towards him slowly. "Tsukune-kun...please calm down. I'm the one that sought Naruto-kun out. I wanted to talk to him."

"He's a murderer, Moka-chan! You shouldn't even be associating yourself with him! Both Naruto and Gaara are monsters that need to be put down before they harm anyone else!"

Moka frowned deeply at this and walked up to Tsukune slowly. When she reached him, she slapped him _hard_ across the face. "Stop it already, Tsukune-kun! I don't like it when you act like this. Please, Tsukune-kun. Just calm down and we can talk about this."

Tsukune was shocked that Moka had just slapped him. He didn't even know what he did to set her off like that, but he figured that Naruto was to blame for turning her against him. "I see...he's even turning you against me, Moka-chan. Damn him."

The pink-haired vampire went wide-eyed and said, "No, Tsukune-kun! We're just friends! And you know that I love you, right Tsukune-kun?! Please just stop this and we can go somewhere else to talk. It might help."

The Ghoul scowled and shook his head. "No, Moka-chan. Somebody has to put him in his place and make sure he stays far away from you." And with that, he reached down and ripped off his rosary, allowing himself to access his Ghoul abilities and power. "I'll make him pay!"

Moka felt tears trickling down her cheeks as she watched her beloved Tsukune slowly begin to take on his Ghoul form before rushing at Naruto. _No… No! Please don't do this Tsukune-kun! You'll...you'll change and never be able to come back from this!_ She thought to herself as the tears just wouldn't stop.

Naruto frowned to himself as Tsukune charged him. Slowly rising to his feet, he closed his eyes and sighed in disappointment. "Stupid boy." he said before thrusting his fist forward as soon as Tsukune came in close.

Once Tsukune was hit by Naruto's punch, he went flying and crashed through a number of trees before finally coming to a stop, slumping down against the tree he had eventually crashed against. "I don't want to hurt you, Tsukune."

It was at this point that Gaara and Ruby appeared from the surrounding trees and looked at the path of devastation caused by that single punch. Gaara noticed Naruto's eyes and nodded his head in understanding. _Sage Mode. If Tsukune pushes things too far, Naruto's likely to kill him._

When Tsukune began to charge Naruto once again in a blind rage, the blonde Kyuubi couldn't help but sigh again. "Damn it Tsukune. You're only going to force my hand."

It was at this point that Kurumu and the other girls rushed into the clearing and saw what was going on. They had obviously been searching for Tsukune and Moka, but they never expected to see something like this. "Tsukune-kun, stop! Please don't do this!" Kurumu pleaded, only for her words to fall on deaf ears.

Yukari frowned deeply and went to reach for her wand, only for Ruby to stop her with a hand on her shoulder. When the younger witch looked into her fellow witch's eyes, she saw Ruby shaking her head at her. "Don't, Yukari-chan. I know you want to stop Tsukune-kun and keep them from fighting, but it's already too late. All we can do is watch and see how this plays out."

Each of the girls that cared for Tsukune looked to be on the verge of tears as they realized that someone was going to be seriously hurt because of this confrontation. _Oh Tsukune-kun. Why?_ They thought, unsure of just what they should do or say in this situation.

Moka, on the other hand, was crying as she collapsed to her knees in disbelief. "Please...stop this. Please make it stop. Let this just be a bad dream!"

As Naruto and Tsukune fought, Gaara soon erected a sand barrier to protect the girls from what was likely to be a brutal, one-sided beatdown. He left small gaps in the sand so they could watch the fight, but he was prepared to close the gaps and put them in spheres made of sand if their safety became jeopardized.

"Damn it, Tsukune! Stop this already and go back to normal already you stupid asshole!" Naruto shouted angrily as he blocked or dodged all of the Ghoul's attacks. So far he hadn't tried to attack since his first punch, hoping that he could get through to the insecure jackass. Sadly, he wasn't making any progress. So when Tsukune tried to go for a killing blow, Naruto rammed his knee hard into Tsukune's solar plexus, causing the Ghoul to be lifted off the ground and gasp from the pain. Once he was in the air, Naruto performed a high kick and slammed Tsukune hard into the ground. "I wonder if I can seal off your powers again with the rosary? Something tells me it won't work though…"

As the Ghoul began to rise to his feet again, Naruto scowled and shook his head. "Please don't force me to kill you, Tsukune. I may not like you, but that doesn't mean I want to end your life."

When Tsukune attacked him again, Naruto sighed and shook his head. _Damn it man! I need to get that rosary and try to seal his powers off with it like it did before! Please...let it work. I don't want to have to kill their precious person._

Ruby, seeing what her friend was looking at, quickly rushed over to the rosary and lifted it into her hands. Quickly tossing it to Naruto, she watched as he caught it and, after disabling Tsukune for a moment, forced the rosary back on Tsukune.

Sadly, after a few moments, it was obvious that Tsukune was too far gone now and the rosary wasn't having any effect. Seeing this, Naruto closed his eyes and released a heavy sigh. _I'm sorry girls, but there isn't much of a choice anymore. I'll put him out of his misery quickly. I'll accept your hatred and try to deal with it, even if you never forgive me for this…_ And with that, Naruto prepared himself to take Tsukune's life. He hoped dearly that he'd be able to save at least his soul. _Damn you, Tsukune. Damn you for making me do this._

Looking into the Ghoul's eyes coldly, Naruto coated his fist in wind chakra as he did with Saizou and prepared to strike as soon as Tsukune came close. When his opponent came in close, Naruto disappeared and reappeared with his wind blade thrusted through Tsukune's chest, piercing his heart.

Tsukune tried for one last attack, but he couldn't even move anymore. As soon as Tsukune took his last breath, Naruto gently laid him upon the ground at his feet. Sighing heavily, Naruto shook his head and gently ran his hands through Tsukune's hair. "You stupid, stupid fool." Then, without a word spoken to anyone, Naruto disappeared in a burst of speed, leaving the others to look at Tsukune's dead body.

Moka and the other girls, minus Ruby, began to cry over Tsukune's dead body. They didn't know what to do and they didn't know how they should feel in regards to what had just happened. Kurumu scowled and clenched her fists tight. "He...he's going to pay for this!" she exclaimed as she glared back towards the school with tears streaming down her face.

Gaara sighed and watched them for a time before he, too, left the clearing. Ruby quickly followed after him, as she knew that they'd have to go and inform Mikogami about what had just happened. _Naruto...I'm so sorry he pushed you so far._ Gaara thought to himself sadly. He knew that things were _not_ going to be easy for his friend from this point forward.

* * *

**A/N - And that's the end of the chapter. As you can see, Tsukune is dead. I had debated with myself about whether I should kill him in this chapter or the next one, but I kinda just said fuck it and killed him in this one.**

**Also, for those of you who have actually read the manga, I know he didn't get the rosary until after he had turned into a Ghoul and went on a rampage. Moka had decided that the only way to free him and save him was to kill him. That's when Mikogami used the rosary to return him to normal. I decided to change things a bit in this story to make things work a bit better in regards to everything.**

**Anywho, a bunch of things happened in this chapter, and I know I'm going to get crap for what I did, but I really just do not care. Hopefully the majority of you enjoyed the chapter.**

**Ciao!**


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N - Alrighty, figured I'd work on this next, sooo...yay! Here's chapter 4 of Guardians of Yokai Academy!**

**Anywho, just as I expected, some people were rather upset with me for killing Tsukune and calling him an asshole. Don't get me wrong, I don't give a damn what people think about that, but I just wanted to say that Tsukune WAS a prick in the series.**

**My biggest peeve about Tsukune is that he made Kurumu and Mizore cry and hurt them throughout the series. Even if he didn't mean to, because of his obsession with Outer Moka, he ended up hurting those close to him. Then at the end of the manga...ugh.**

**So, what I'm saying is that I hate Tsukune with a passion. He may be a nice guy, but he's also a major asshole when it comes to the other girls that are interested in him. So there you have it.**

**Now, hopefully you enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

**Chapter 4 - Aftermath**

"I'm...so sorry, Headmaster. I tried to use the rosary to seal him again, but…" Naruto said, unable to finish his sentence. After killing Tsukune, he had gone straight to the Headmaster to explain the situation to him. He had tears welling up in his eyes, as he realized that he had essentially just blown up any chance of staying friends with the girls. He felt terrible and it really showed on his face.

Mikogami sighed and shook his head sadly. "You did nothing wrong, Naruto-kun. There was no going back for Tsukune. He gave into his anger and his jealousy and gave you no other choice but to stop him by any means necessary. I will take care of informing young Tsukune's parents of his demise. Don't worry, I won't mention your involvement in his death. I'll come up with some alternate reason behind his death to tell them. As for your friends…"

Naruto sighed and nodded his head slowly. "I know. They're going to hate me for quite a while. I'll continue doing my best to protect them...but...I don't think they want me anywhere near them right now. May I be excused from the Newspaper Club until...until…?"

The Headmaster got up and walked around his desk. Approaching Naruto, he soon reached out and pulled Naruto in for a hug. "Take all the time you need, Naruto-kun. Just don't shut them out if they want to approach you about what happened."

The blonde nodded slowly and tentatively wrapped his arms around the Headmaster, hugging him back. He basked in the warmth and safety he felt while in Mikogami's embrace. "Thank you, Headmaster. I'll just be on my way now." he said after a short while before he and Mikogami stepped away from one another.

"Of course. Go and get some rest, Naruto-kun." Mikogami said before watching as Naruto left his office. _I hope they can work this out…_

Outside of Mikogami's office, Naruto was and wasn't surprised to see Moka and the others waiting to speak with Mikogami. Wiping his eyes again to try and get rid of any remaining tears, he muttered, "I'm...I'm so sorry…" before he quickly hurried off.

As soon as he was gone, Kurumu stomped up to the doors and pushed them open. Storming inside, she waited for her friends to join her before she addressed the Headmaster. "Headmaster, something has to be done about Naruto Uzumaki! He murdered Tsukune-kun! Tsukune-kun was right...Naruto _is_ a monster!"

Mikogami took this moment to look at each of the girls that had entered his office. Moka was despondent, barely registering where she was, let alone the fact that she was with the Headmaster at this point. Kurumu was so angry that he was sure she'd attack Naruto if given the opportunity. Yukari looked dejected and, from what he could guess, conflicted. Finally, there was Mizore. She had known Tsukune for the shortest period of time, but one look in her eyes told him all he needed to know about how she was feeling. Mizore was PISSED.

Sighing softly, Mikogami closed his eyes and shook his head sadly. _Naruto's going to have to watch his back for a while, especially around these two._ He thought as he opened his eyes and looked at Kurumu and Mizore.

Looking at each of the girls one by one, the Headmaster finally spoke up. "Naruto-kun will not be punished for Tsukune's death. And before you interrupt me," he said, shooting a pointed glare at Kurumu and Mizore, "hear me out. Tsukune-kun let his jealousy cloud his judgment. Moka," he said, getting her attention, "sought Naruto-kun out because she was concerned for her friend. Naruto originally planned to distance himself from Moka so that Tsukune would calm down and come to the realization on his own that Naruto was no threat to his relationship with Moka. Naruto's plan was shot to Hell though when Moka continued to seek him out in an attempt to be a good friend to him. As a result of this, Tsukune's jealousy hit a boiling point and he did the only thing he could think of to do at that point: remove his rosary and allow his Ghoul instincts to guide him."

Sighing softly, Mikogami shook his head again. "Naruto-kun tried to use the rosary to seal off his Ghoul side again, but Tsukune-kun was too far gone at that point. The only option left to Naruto-kun was to put Tsukune out of his misery. Living life as a mindless Ghoul is no way to live. It's doubtful he would have even recognized you girls in that state. So, against his own wishes, Naruto-kun took Tsukune-kun's life. He knew you girls would likely hate him for it, but…"

It was at this point that Gaara and Ruby stepped out from the shadows, looking at the four girls standing across from the Headmaster's desk. "Naruto is my best friend. I can tell you now that he's hurting over what he had to do. You may not have noticed, but as he left this office, he was in tears. Naruto would **never** have done what he did unless he was given no other choice. All he wanted was for you girls to be happy, even if it came at his expense. Naruto...wants to be friends with all of you. But, from the looks of things, that's no longer possible, is it?"

Before any of the girls could say anything, Ruby turned to Mikogami and asked, "Should we tell them, Headmaster?"

"Tell us what?" Yukari asked, sounding genuinely curious, despite the pain she was still feeling from Tsukune's death.

Mikogami closed his eyes and sighed again. "I suppose now would be a good time to do so, yes." Opening his eyes, he gave them a piercing stare and began to explain. "Naruto Uzumaki and Gaara are what their people call shinobi. They come from a hidden continent known as the Elemental Nations. This continent differs greatly from the rest of the world you and your friends are familiar with. Theirs is a continent steeped in a history of war and aggression. Children are raised from a young age to be warriors, known as shinobi, or ninjas if you prefer, for their villages. I could go into further detail I suppose, but there is no need to do so at this time."

"Naruto-kun and Gaara-kun used to be what is referred to as a jinchuriki. They were Humans that had monsters known as the bijuu sealed inside of them. Naruto housed the Kyuubi and Gaara housed the Ichibi. During a battle between the two of them a little over 2 ½ years ago, they merged with their bijuu and became the new Kyuubi and Ichibi respectively. In essence, Naruto-kun and Gaara-kun are Humans that became monsters."

Closing his eyes again, Mikogami rested his chin on his hands and continued his story. "The reason I'm telling you this is because the two of them were treated as if they were weapons to be used rather than as their own people. They are incredibly skilled shinobi and powerful monsters, both falling in the S-class category of monsters."

"Knowing about them and what had happened, I presented a mission to their villages, hiring the two of them to come here to my academy to serve as guardians of the students. You could call them the Guardians of Yokai Academy, if you liked. I determined that I needed to bring them here after the incident with Kuyo. I had hoped that by ensuring they were close to your group and Tsukune, that they would be in a better position to keep you all safe. However, I didn't count on Tsukune growing jealous because Moka wanted to spend time with a new male friend."

Shaking his head sadly, Mikogami looked at them again and continued on. "Despite what you may think of them now, they _are_ here to ensure your safety and the safety of every student here in the academy. So I'm afraid I can't allow you to enact any crazy plans of revenge. I'm not saying you have to forgive Naruto-kun, but I want you to at least be civil with him. He didn't kill Tsukune out of something so petty as jealousy. He killed Tsukune as a means of saving that poor boy from himself. It was also done in an effort to protect all of you from what Tsukune had become."

"But...he still killed Tsukune-kun…" Kurumu said, not quite sure how to take all of the information she and the others had just been told. "I...how…? How am I supposed to act as if nothing at all happened around him?! If he had just stayed away, Tsukune-kun would still be alive! I could win him over and...and…"

Mikogami sighed and shook his head. "Kurumu, something you fail to understand is that Tsukune only ever had eyes for Moka, the Outer Moka, I mean. He had no interest in you, Yukari, Mizore, or anyone else. The only person that ever truly mattered to him was Moka. I'm sorry."

Kurumu clenched her fists as tears began to fall down her cheeks. "But! I...I had to try! I…"

Gaara sighed and shook his head. "Headmaster, it would appear that your words won't reach them. I'll inform Naruto that he should stay away from the Newspaper Club for the time being."

Yukari raised a hand as if to stop him, but Gaara was already gone in a swirl of sand before she could say a thing. Looking at the Headmaster for a moment, Yukari thought over her options and what she could, or more importantly _should_, do. After shooting a quick glance at Ruby, Yukari turned and ran out of the Headmaster's office.

Ruby frowned at this and couldn't help but wonder what Yukari was up to. Deciding to let her be for now, she looked at the other three girls and shook her head. "Naruto-kun only wanted to be friends with all of you. Now, knowing him, he's going to try and distance himself from all of you. Maybe that's for the best…" she said before she left the office as well.

Mikogami looked at the three girls before him before turning his gaze on Moka. "Moka, how are you feeling right now? What's on your mind?"

The pink-haired vampire looked into the Headmaster's eyes and wiped at her eyes to rid them of the tears. "I...I don't know, Headmaster. I really loved Tsukune-kun. I...I feel like it's all _my_ fault that this happened. If...if I hadn't insisted on being friends with Naruto-kun, maybe Tsukune-kun would still be alive. At the same time, though...I really want to be friends with him. Naruto-kun's a good person. It...it's easy to talk with him and laugh and…"

Sighing heavily, Moka looked down at the ground. "I...I don't blame him for what happened. It's not Naruto-kun's fault. He only did what he did to keep everyone safe. But I can't help but feel like it's all my fault. I can't help it."

Mikogami offered her a kind smile and said, "Do not blame yourself, Moka. Tsukune was insecure and, despite you telling him how you felt about him, he couldn't accept that you genuinely loved him. This whole mess is of Tsukune's own doing. I'm sorry, but it's true."

Kurumu clenched her fists tight and shook her head. "If Naruto had just stayed away…"

Mizore unclenched her fists and closed her eyes. Sighing softly, she decided to just leave. She would think more on what she should do later.

Moka looked at Kurumu with a frown. "Do you really mean that, Kurumu-chan? Naruto-kun has been a good friend to all of us. He's done nothing but treat us kindly!"

Kurumu scowled and shook her head. "If Naruto wasn't around, Tsukune-kun wouldn't be dead now!" she shouted before she stormed out of the office.

Left alone with the Headmaster, Moka looked at him with a deep frown on her face. "What...what am I supposed to do now?"

Mikogami frowned at this and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm afraid I can't give you an answer to that. The answer to that particular question is one you have to find for yourself. I'm sure you'll come to the right decision. However, I'm worried about Kurumu and Mizore. I worry that they'll attempt to harm Naruto-kun if given the opportunity."

Moka looked down and shut her eyes tight, clenching her fists at her sides. "They shouldn't do that! Naruto-kun's a good person!"

"Indeed he is. For now, I think it would do Naruto-kun a world of good if you told him that you don't hate him. Just let him know that you'd still like to be his friend, regardless of what's happened." Mikogami suggested.

Nodding in understanding, Moka thanked the Headmaster before she quickly vacated the office. Once she was gone and he was truly alone once again, Mikogami turned to stare out the window. _I hope this situation resolves itself peacefully. Take care of yourself, Naruto-kun._

_**Naruto's Dorm Room**_

Upon returning to his dorm room, Naruto was surprised to find Ririko waiting for him inside. Noticing his distressed state, she wrapped an arm around him and walked inside with him. Sitting together, she looked him over carefully before staring into his eyes. "What's wrong, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto rubbed his eyes again as they were starting to itch from the crying he had done. "I had to kill Tsukune."

Eyes widening in shock at this, Ririko gently took his hand in hers and asked, "What happened?"

Naruto sighed and began to explain. "Tsukune was jealous of me spending time with Moka-chan. I was going to try and distance myself from her until Tsukune had calmed down, but Moka-chan insisted that I not do that. So, despite what might happen, I decided against distancing myself and tried to just spend time with her. However, Tsukune let his jealousy flare out of control and he attacked me. He...removed that rosary of his and turned into a Ghoul. I tried to seal him again using that rosary...but it didn't work. I wasn't given any other choice but to kill him. It was the only way to save him from himself and to keep everyone here at the academy safe. But…"

Ririko hugged him tight and began to gently run her fingers through his hair. "I understand. The girls that were crazy about him aren't taking this very well, I assume?"

Naruto nodded slowly and just hugged her back. He didn't say a word, simply allowing himself to feel comfort in Ririko's embrace. However, their moment was interrupted a few minutes later when they heard frantic knocking at his door.

Looking into her boyfriend's eyes, the sexy teacher kissed him lightly on the lips before she walked to the door and opened it. "Yukari-chan?"

Yukari looked shocked to see Ririko Kagome in Naruto's dorm room, but quickly pushed that aside for later. "Can I come in? I really need to speak to Naruto-kun."

Ririko frowned as she looked into the fifteen year-old's eyes. "Fine. If you hurt him though…"

The young witch shook her head and said, "No! I have no intention of hurting him. I just want to talk."

Sighing, Ririko reluctantly allowed Yukari to enter the room and shut the door behind her. Walking back over to Naruto, she sat down on his left side and gently took his hand in hers to give him her support. Seeing this, Yukari was a bit confused, but soon realized that they must be in some kind of a relationship. Frowning, she couldn't help but wonder, _If he's with her, why does he still want Kurumu and me?_

Shaking her head to clear away such thoughts, Yukari looked into Naruto's eyes and said, "I need to know the truth, Naruto-kun. Did you kill Tsukune-kun out of jealousy?"

Ririko scoffed at this, but Naruto spoke up before she could say anything in his defense. "Yukari-chan, you know me better than that. Yes, I felt some jealousy towards him, but I would **never** have killed him simply because I was jealous. I killed Tsukune to save him from himself. I killed him to protect you girls. I killed him to protect everyone at this school. That's the truth."

Yukari nodded in understanding and said, "I thought as much. I just had to be absolutely sure. I want to be your friend, Naruto-kun. I don't want to lose you too."

Naruto smiled at her and said, "Thank you, Yukari-chan. That means a lot to me. Is it safe to assume that the Headmaster told you about everything?"

The pretty witch nodded her head in the affirmative. "Yes. He told us about the Elemental Nations, how you and Gaara used to be Humans, pretty much everything. I'm sure he left some things out, but he told us enough. I'm sure you've been through a lot, so I want you to know that I'm here for you. I'm your friend and I refuse to let you suffer alone."

Ririko looked between her boyfriend and Yukari for a moment before asking, "Were you informed about the CRA as well?"

Naruto flinched at this, but when he went to protest, Ririko put a finger to his lips, shushing him. Yukari, ignoring this little gesture, shook her head. "No. What's the CRA?"

"It stands for Clan Restoration Act. As the only one of his kind and the last member of the Uzumaki clan, Naruto has been inducted into the CRA. What this entails is quite simple. Naruto is supposed to take multiple brides and have children with them to help repopulate his clan, as well as to create more people like him. As you can probably guess, this act is used as a last resort in order to save a clan or species from going extinct. Do you understand why I'm telling you this?" Ririko explained.

Yukari's eyes widened in shock at this before looking into Naruto's eyes. When she saw him blush and look away from her, she realized that it was all true. Blushing a bit, she quickly glanced away and said, "I...I see. I think I understand. But…"

Ririko sighed and nodded her head in understanding. "I know. You were in love with Tsukune and you have feelings for Moka as well. Most likely, you don't feel anything for Naruto at all. Correct?"

The teenage witch frowned at this and closed her eyes, allowing herself to delve into her thoughts. After a time, she opened her eyes again and shook her head. "At the moment, I'm unsure. It's hard to just ignore the fact that Naruto-kun killed Tsukune-kun. It will take some time to process everything, but once I do...I don't know. I'm sorry."

Ririko sighed, but nodded her head in understanding once again. "Of course. If that is all, you are free to leave now."

Yukari frowned, but nodded once before she stood up and walked to the door. Stopping for a moment, she looked back over her shoulder at Naruto and said, "I don't hate you, Naruto-kun." before she opened the door and left.

Naruto sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, at least not all of them hate me. Still…"

Before Ririko could say anything, Gaara stepped out of the darkness and said, "Yes. It would be best if you didn't come to the Newspaper Club for a while. At least not while Kurumu and Mizore-chan are still feeling hostile towards you for what happened."

Ririko jumped at the sudden voice and turned to glare at Gaara. "Stop doing that to me all the time, Gaara-kun! You're going to give me a heart attack at this rate!"

Gaara chuckled at this and simply nodded his head. "As you wish. I'll try to make some noise next time."

"Just stop sneaking up on me and I'll be fine. You shinobi are so quiet all the time. It can be kind of spooky sometimes when you pop up out of nowhere."

Naruto chuckled a bit and said, "True. Have to admit, it is kinda fun to jump out and scare people sometimes though."

Ririko lightly whacked Naruto in the chest before pouting at him. "That's not very nice of you, Naruto-kun."

As Naruto chuckled and began to tickle his girlfriend, Gaara couldn't help but smile at the scene. _Good. He's starting to feel better. I'd best be on my way then._ He thought to himself before he left Naruto's dorm room. When he saw Moka standing there, he quirked a brow and folded his arms across his chest. "What are you doing here, Moka-san?"

Moka shuffled her feet a bit before looking into Gaara's eyes. "I...I just want to talk to him. I want him to know that I don't hate him and that I don't blame him for what happened. I want to continue being his friend…"

Gaara slowly stepped aside, allowing her entrance to the room. "I assume there's something else you're interested in doing?"

Moka blushed a bit and shook her head. "N-Nothing naughty! I just want to test something."

Gaara chuckled a bit and said, "I wasn't implying anything by that question. You're too pure a person to want to do something like that when your boyfriend just died earlier."

Blushing worse from her embarrassment, Moka ignored him and proceeded to enter Naruto's room. Walking up to him, she couldn't help but smile as she saw Naruto and Ririko tickling each other and laughing. When they noticed her, Moka waved at them shyly. "H-Hi."

Naruto quirked a brow and asked, "Moka-chan? I thought for sure you'd be going out of your way to avoid me from now on after what happened. What brings you here?"

Staring into his eyes, Moka said, "You're my friend, Naruto-kun. You didn't do anything wrong! I...I blame myself for what happened. Not you."

Frowning at this, Naruto said, "You shouldn't blame yourself, Moka-chan."

"I know that. I can't help it though. It hurts and I don't know what to do! But I do know that I want to keep being your friend. I don't want to let this incident separate us. You're a dear friend and I care about you. And…"

"And?" Naruto questioned, wondering just what she was trying to say.

"Naruto-kun? Can you try and remove my rosary, please? I want to test something."

Blinking a couple of times at this, Naruto shrugged and motioned for Moka to sit by him. Once she had, he reached up, grabbed her rosary, and tugged on it, easily pulling it off, much to her shock.

A moment later, a silver-haired teenage beauty was in Moka's place, her eyes closed as she adjusted to being free again. When she opened her eyes and looked at Naruto, he couldn't help but mutter, "Wow. Such pretty red eyes."

Blushing slightly, Moka looked into Naruto's eyes curiously. "Naruto, I know what the Headmaster said, but I'd like to see your monster form for myself. Can you please show me?"

Naruto nodded and released the illusion he had up. As his features were revealed to her, Moka smirked and said, "I can just feel your power. You're far stronger than any other monster I've ever seen, especially when compared to Kuyo. Hmm…"

Frowning slightly, Naruto looked into her eyes and asked, "What's on your mind, Moka-chan?"

The silver-haired vampire looked him in the eyes with a small blush on her face. "Can I sample your blood? I want to check something for myself before I relinquish control of this body back to the other Moka."

Blinking a couple of times, Naruto soon shrugged his shoulders and smiled at her. "Sure. Help yourself." he said, tugging aside the collar of his shirt and allowing Moka access to his neck.

"Thank you." Moka said before biting into his neck and drinking some of his blood. As the flavor hit her tongue, the silver-haired vampire moaned in delight. It was hard to stop herself from draining him dry simply due to the divine taste of his blood!

Hearing Moka's delighted moan, Naruto blushed a bit as naughty thoughts began flooding through his mind. When she finally stopped and pulled back a moment or two later, he looked her in the eyes and asked, "I take it that you enjoyed it, then?"

Moka nodded and offered him a sly smirk. "Oh yes, very much so. It's much better than Tsukune's was." Nodding again as she came to a decision, she said, "You'd make a fine mate, Naruto Uzumaki. I will allow you to court the other Moka, if you choose. However, she needs to take the time to grieve the loss of her first love."

Naruto blushed a tad more and said, "I kinda just want to be there for her to help her however I can. I'm not going to, erm, 'court' her when she's grieving. Besides that, I'm not sure how I feel about her. Right now she's probably my best friend besides Gaara and I cherish that bond with her." Thinking on it for a moment, he looked into Moka's eyes and said, "I'd like to be your friend as well. Now that I know I can remove your rosario cross, I can talk with you whenever, right?"

The vampire shook her head and said, "I'd prefer you not abuse that ability. It's only to be removed when the other Moka is in danger or if you have something important you need to speak with me about."

Nodding his head in understanding, Naruto said, "Of course. I understand Moka-chan."

Moka had the tiniest hint of a blush on her face at the affectionate suffix. Taking her cross from him again, she looked him in the eyes and said, "Treat her well, Uzumaki." And with that, she reattached the cross and relinquished control of the body back to the other Moka.

Once she was in control again, the pink-haired Moka blushed a bit and found it hard to look at Naruto. Seeing this, Naruto groaned and asked, "You heard everything, huh Moka-chan?"

Nodding slowly, Moka looked into his eyes and said, "Yes, I did. Thank you, Naruto-kun, for respecting me enough to turn down her offer for the time being. I loved Tsukune-kun, and it hurts really bad to know that he's gone now and never coming back. I don't want to be courted right now by anyone."

Naruto chuckled a bit and nodded his head in understanding. "Of course. Now, do you want me to walk you back to your room, or are you alright?"

Moka shook her head and offered him a small smile. "I'll be fine. Take care, Naruto-kun." she said before she stood up and left his room.

Now that she was gone, Ririko quirked a brow and looked her boyfriend in the eyes. "So, courting Moka-chan, hm? How..._interesting_." she teased. "That must feel good."

Naruto chuckled and shook his head. "Nah. I respect her too much to try and court her at the moment. I never had any plans to chase after her. She was happy with Tsukune, so why should I come between that? Yeah, she's beautiful inside and out, but I dunno. I just can't seem to picture it."

Ririko giggled a bit and said, "Maybe not now, but you might soon enough. You two _are_ close, after all."

Chuckling a bit more, Naruto nodded his head. "Maybe so. Now, wanna cuddle for a while? I don't really want to be alone right now."

"Of course sweetie. Come on." she said, taking his hand and venturing into his bedroom so they could cuddle for a time.

_**The Next Day - Homeroom**_

When he entered Nekonome's classroom the next day, followed by Gaara, Naruto was a bit surprised to see everyone looking at him with varying expressions. It was at this point that he realized news of Tsukune's death had likely spread like wildfire throughout the academy. Sighing at this, he took his seat in the back corner of the classroom, away from the girls. He didn't want to cause them any undue stress, after all.

Kurumu looked like she wanted to go and give him a piece of her mind, but Mizore beat her to the punch. Watching her fellow Tsukune lover, she was a bit surprised to see her press a blade of ice against his throat. _Damn she's pissed. More than me even._

Despite the blade against his throat, Naruto looked calmly into Mizore's eyes and sighed. "Yes, Mizore? How can I help you?"

Mizore scowled at him and said, "You killed Tsukune-kun. I should kill you for that. I don't care about your past, or even the fact that you're acting as a Guardian. You killed Tsukune-kun, and as they say, a life for a life."

Naruto sighed again and shook his head. "You obviously missed the part about Tsukune going out of control. He was too far gone to save. I did what was required of me to protect you and everyone else here in the school. I have no regrets about doing my duty. Hate me if you want. Try to kill me if you want. It makes no difference to me. However, you should know right now that I won't just lay down and let you kill me."

Glaring into his eyes, Mizore was about to attack him, only for Nekonome to shout at her. "Put that away, Mizore-chan! Take your seat and don't go attacking him ever again!"

Scowling worse, Mizore dismissed her blade of ice and returned to her seat with the others. Once she was away from him, Naruto glanced at Gaara and said, "Your girlfriend really hates me now. Hopefully she and Kurumu calm down before we're forced to take action."

Gaara sighed and nodded his head in agreement. Before he could say anything, however, their teacher got everyone's attention and began to speak. "As you're likely all aware by now, Tsukune-kun has passed away. However, what you likely _don't_ know is that he went into a berserk rage and lost himself to his monster instincts. Naruto-kun put Tsukune-kun out of his misery in order to protect the people of this academy. Please do not hound him with questions, and don't attempt to hurt him for what has happened."

Kurumu and Mizore scowled at this, but they remained silent, not wanting to cause a scene in class. Moka and Yukari looked at Naruto worriedly, much to Kurumu and Mizore's astonishment. "Why aren't you two angry? He _killed_ Tsukune-kun!"

Moka frowned and shook her head sadly. "It's...it's not his fault. If anyone's to blame for what happened, it's me. If...if I hadn't wanted to spend time with Naruto-kun, Tsukune-kun would still be here."

Yukari frowned and shook her head. "No, Moka-chan, it's not your fault. Nobody should be blamed for what happened. Things just spiraled out of control and...and Naruto-kun wasn't given much of a choice. Yes, it's painful, but there's no reason to seek revenge against Naruto-kun for what happened."

Mizore scowled at this, but sighed reluctantly and said, "Fine. But he'd better stay away. I'm likely to kill him if he tries to come near us."

Hearing this with his enhanced hearing, Gaara sighed and shook his head in disappointment. "Naruto...for what it's worth, I'm sorry you have to deal with this. You shouldn't have to bear the brunt of their anger alone."

Naruto shook his head and simply stared at his desk, trying to avoid everyone's gaze. "I'm used to it, Gaara. The villagers back home weren't exactly kind to me, after all. What's the harm of a few more people wishing me harm?"

Gaara shook his head and said, "Still, you should not have to deal with it alone. I'll stay around and help you take their hatred. You're my best friend and I won't let you suffer alone."

"Even if it means you have to stand against Mizore?" Naruto questioned.

Sighing, Gaara said, "If need be...yes. I like her a lot, but if she tries to hurt you, I _will_ stand in her way."

"Thank you, Gaara. You're a great friend."

"Of course, Naruto." Gaara said with a small smile on his face.

_**Later - Newspaper Club**_

Ginei frowned when he noticed that neither Naruto or Gaara had shown up. It seemed they had no intention of coming, which caused him to worry a bit. Looking towards the girls he was so fond of (hey, he's a healthy male amidst a group of really hot girls!), he shook his head in disappointment when he noticed that Mizore and Kurumu looked more interested in planning revenge against Naruto than working on their articles.

Standing up, he made for the door, only to hear Kurumu ask him, "Where are you going, Gin?"

Looking at her over his shoulder, he said, "I'm going to check in on Naruto and Gaara and see how their articles are coming along. Why? Did you want to come with me?"

Kurumu scoffed and shook her head. "No. I don't want to see that scumbag ever again if I can help it."

Ginei sighed and shook his head before leaving the room. _Poor Naruto. Does the right thing and he's treated like shit because of it._

A while later, he couldn't help but notice Mizore and Kurumu following after him. Sighing again, he decided that it would probably be best to warn Naruto and Gaara about the impending threat to Naruto's life. So, as he reached Naruto's door, he knocked on it hard and waited for his friend to open the door.

Stepping inside once Naruto let him in, Ginei immediately noticed Gaara and offered him a nod and smile in greeting. He heard Naruto lock the door before the two of them sat down together. "What's up Gin? Need something?" Naruto questioned.

Gin shot a quick look towards his door before looking into Naruto's eyes. "I just wanted to check on you two. First, how are your articles coming along?"

Naruto smiled as he showed Ginei his article. "I'm almost done with it. Gaara offered to deliver my article to you when we both finished."

Nodding in acceptance of this, he turned to Gaara and asked, "How about you Gaara?"

Gaara said, "My article is finished. Though I get the feeling you're here for more than just asking about our articles."

Gin sighed and rubbed at the back of his head. "Unfortunately, yes. I felt I should warn you that Mizore-chan and Kurumu-chan are out for your blood, Naruto. I know you didn't kill Tsukune in cold blood. They don't seem to care about the truth though. Doesn't help that Tsukune didn't seem to care about them. He was so obsessed with Moka that he was blind to their affections. I think part of why they're so out of control right now is because Tsukune never showed them the affection they desired. They can't accept that he didn't feel that way for them and that he's truly gone now. They'll never get to win him over now. I'm not sure how we can go about fixing this problem."

Sighing again, Ginei said, "I'm surprised Moka-chan and Yukari-chan aren't out for your blood as well. Moka-chan especially. She's the one that's most upset about Tsukune's passing, and yet she still cares about you and wants to be near you. As for Yukari-chan, it's almost like she's wrestling with her own feelings and can't decide how to feel."

"Yeah, that sounds about right." Naruto said with a nod of his head. Then, with a sigh, he said, "Maybe I should just let Kurumu-chan and Mizore vent their frustrations out on me. If it makes them happy to try and kill me, then…"

Ginei slapped Naruto and shouted at him, "No! Don't even think about doing that! You can't just let them kill you just to please the two of them! Right now they're being stubborn bitches! You need to take care of yourself and watch your back, Naruto. If you let them kill you, I think they'd only feel worse."

Gaara nodded in agreement. "Ginei is right, Naruto. Don't ever say something like that again. We have a mission and I refuse to let you fail just because two of our friends are angry at you. Besides, think about how Moka and Yukari would feel if you let them kill you like that."

Sighing as he rubbed his cheek, Naruto nodded his head slowly. "Sorry. I didn't say I'd let them kill me, simply let them try. I don't know. I really have no idea what the hell I should do."

As Naruto simply went back to work on his article, Ginei sighed and looked at Gaara. "Kurumu-chan and Mizore-chan were following me on my way here. I'm pretty sure they're just waiting for the perfect chance to attack. What do you want to do?"

Naruto flinched at hearing this, but Gaara decided to ignore that as he replied to Ginei. "I'll go and deal with them. Even if it means I become their target as well, I need to set them straight."

Ginei nodded as he watched Gaara stand up and leave the room. Once he was gone, the werewolf looked at his friend and sighed. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry you have to go through this, man."

"Thanks Gin. I appreciate that. I really just wish I knew what the hell to do." he said before he put the finishing touches on his article and handed both his and Gaara's articles to Ginei. "Here you go, our finished articles."

"Thanks. Take care of yourself, Naruto." Gin said before he took the articles and left the room.

Once he was alone, Naruto went and splashed some cold water on his face using the sink in his bathroom. Then he proceeded to use a towel to dry his face and sighed. "Ugh. This whole situation sucks. Even in death you're causing me no end of grief, Tsukune."

_**Gaara**_

Gaara narrowed his eyes as he looked at Kurumu and Mizore. "I suggest you leave. NOW. I won't just let you attempt to kill my friend."

Kurumu glared at him and said, "Mikogami and you said it yourselves, you and Naruto are trained MURDERERS! Besides that, I bet he killed Tsukune-kun out of jealousy."

The redhead summoned forth some sand and had it begin creeping towards Kurumu slowly. "We are NOT murderers. Yes, we've both killed before, but it's been done either to protect ourselves or to save somebody else. Besides that, we were hired to protect you and every other student and teacher here. Tsukune let his jealousy consume him and he willingly became an unstoppable monster. There was nothing anyone could have done to save him at that point. The only thing that Naruto could have done was kill him to end Tsukune's suffering. That, and he wanted to protect you and your friends."

Sighing heavily, Gaara directed his sand to pin Kurumu and Mizore in place. "Kurumu...Naruto _was_ jealous of Tsukune. Just as I was. But we've **never** let our feelings control us. Feelings can be used to push us beyond our limits, but if you let them control you…"

Shaking his head, Gaara looked them hard in the eyes and said, "Kurumu, Naruto has feelings for you. And Mizore-chan, I have feelings for you as well. You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. But...even if it makes you hate me, I'll protect my friend from you. He...he saved me from myself. I used to be...ugh. I don't know how to explain it. People had tried to kill me so often as I grew up that I eventually closed myself off. I didn't trust anybody, not even my own siblings. I killed people because I didn't trust them not to attempt to kill me. But Naruto? Naruto has suffered just as much as I have. He was treated like a monster all his life and even still, he didn't let their words and their actions push him past that breaking point. He grew up to be a wonderful person. I owe him for everything he's done for me. That's why I can't let you hurt him."

Kurumu and Mizore paused at this and were a bit wide-eyed at everything that had just heard. "He...likes me?" Kurumu questioned unsurely. After a moment though, she shook her head and said, "If he likes me, why did he take away the person that made me happy?"

Mizore, on the other hand, was staring at Gaara in shock. She had no idea that he felt that way about her, and she wasn't quite sure what to think in this moment. After a short while, however, she said, "Gaara-kun...I...I don't know if I can accept your feelings right now. I liked Tsukune-kun, you know that. But...I don't hate you. I doubt I ever could. You're a good person. I...I think I'm just going to go." she said before trying to turn around and leave. Only problem was that there was sand around her ankles pinning her in place. Noticing this, she looked at Gaara and asked, "Can you please let me go, Gaara-kun?"

Nodding his head, Gaara released Mizore and watched as she walked off. Then he turned his attention to Kurumu. "Kurumu, let me ask you something. Did Tsukune even once show any signs that he returned your feelings? Take some time to think back before you answer my question."

Kurumu's initial instinct was to shout out, "Yes!" but she did as Gaara said and took some time to really think on it. The more she thought about it, the worse she began to feel. When she finally had her answer, she could feel tears streaming down her cheeks. Looking into Gaara's eyes, she said, "No. No he didn't. I tried so hard to earn his affections and get his attention...but he only ever had eyes for Moka. The rest of us...it was like we weren't even on his radar."

Gaara nodded in understanding. "Naruto and I noticed that too. Just the fact that Tsukune had your affections and was constantly shunning you hurt Naruto. Now, let me ask you two more questions. How did you feel when Tsukune ignored you in favor of obsessing over Moka? And when Naruto compliments you and pays attention to you, how does it feel?"

Kurumu couldn't even look Gaara in the eyes as she gave her answer to the first question. "Whenever he ignored me in favor of Moka...it hurt so bad I felt like crying. I tried everything I could think of to get him to focus his attention on me, but...but nothing worked! There were times when I was alone where I'd break down and cry."

Sighing softly, she looked into Gaara's eyes with tears streaming down her face. "As for Naruto...I have to admit, it felt nice for someone to genuinely compliment me on my looks and my personality. He's been nothing but kind to me...and oddly enough, he was supportive of me in my pursuit of Tsukune-kun. Why would he do that if he was jealous…?"

Gaara sighed and gave her a small smile. "He cares so much about you that he only wanted to see you happy, even if it isn't with him. Naruto's selfless like that. Now, I have two final questions for you. Was Tsukune immune to your charm magic? If not, who is?"

Kurumu frowned at this and answered immediately. "No...Tsukune fell under the effects of my charm magic immediately. He only broke out when I tried to kiss him. And...it was all because he just couldn't take his mind off of Moka." Sighing again, she closed her eyes and shook her head. Then, when she realized the answer to his second question, her eyes opened wide and she looked into Gaara's eyes with a shocked expression on her face. "Naruto's the only one I've met that's been completely immune to my charm magic! But...what does that mean…?"

Gaara offered her a kindhearted smile and said, "I think if you really take the time to think on it, you'll have your answer. For now, why don't you return to your room and just relax for a while, okay? But first, do you still want to get revenge on Naruto?"

Kurumu frowned at this question and shook her head. "N-No...not after everything you've said. You've really made me think. I'm...I'm going to go." she said, watching as Gaara released the sand around her ankles. "Thank you, Gaara-kun." she said before leaving.

Once she was gone, Gaara released a heavy sigh and shook his head. "I stand absolutely ZERO chance with Mizore, don't I Naruto?" he asked, looking to his left at Naruto, who was now standing in his doorway.

Naruto offered his friend a smile and shook his head. "I wouldn't say that. Just give it some time and she'll come around. I'm sure of it. And...thanks Gaara. I really appreciate what you've done."

The redhead shrugged his shoulders and smiled at his friend. "You're welcome, Naruto. I'm going to go with Ginei back to the Newspaper Club. You take care, alright?"

Naruto nodded and allowed Gin to pass him so he and Gaara could return to the Newspaper Club. Once they were gone, he turned to go back inside, only to blink as he caught the sight of pink hair out of the corner of his eye. Turning, he noticed Moka timidly trying to approach him, only to pause and turn around as if she was going to leave. She kept up this pattern until Naruto decided to just call out to her. "Moka-chan? What's wrong?"

Moka let out an 'eep!' sound before turning to face him again. "Uh...um...I wanted to talk to you. But you seemed busy and then Gaara-kun had to talk down Kurumu-chan and Mizore-chan and...and…"

The whiskered teen chuckled a bit and shook his head. "You might as well just come on in. We can talk for a while if you want." he said before entering his dorm room, leaving his door open for her.

A moment later, as he was in the process of making tea, he heard his door close and glanced at Moka. "Just have a seat. I'll be with you in just a moment." he said as he focused on the tea.

When Naruto sat down across from her, she smiled in thanks when he placed a cup of tea in front of her. "T-Thank you, Naruto-kun." she said before taking a sip and moaning in delight. "It's so good!"

The blonde chuckled a bit and nodded his head in thanks. "Thanks. I'm glad you like it. It's a special blend I came up with during my time in Konoha, my home village. If you want, I can give you the recipe for it?"

Moka smiled at him and nodded her head. "That'd be great! Thanks Naruto-kun!"

Naruto chuckled a bit and said, "It seems you're feeling a bit calmer now. That's good. So what did you want to talk about?"

Moka went silent for a while before looking towards his door. "I...wanted to see if you were okay? After all, I know how you feel about Kurumu-chan, and having her out for your life can't be easy to deal with. Though, I have a question for you too. I know you like Yukari-chan too, and I'm pretty sure you're in a relationship with Kagome-sensei. So...how does that work, exactly?"

The Kyuubi sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "That's...a bit complicated to answer. You see, Gaara and I have been inducted into what our villages refer to as the CRA, or Clan Restoration Act. Because I became the Kyuubi and because I'm the last of my clan, I'm supposed to take multiple wives and have children with each of them in an effort to restore my clan and, hopefully, sire more Kyuubi's like me. At least that's what my village is hoping. I'm...treated more like I'm their weapon than as a person, I'm afraid. As for Gaara, since he's the Ichibi now, his village desires more Ichibi's like him. That, and they're hoping that his children will inherit his skill with gold dust, sand, etc."

The pinkette's eyes widened considerably and she nearly dropped her teacup from how shocked she was in that moment. "I see. So...you plan to take Kurumu-chan, Yukari-chan, and Kagome-sensei as your wives, then?"

"That would be ideal for me, yes. But the problem is...Kurumu-chan and Yukari-chan liked Tsukune and, since I'm the one that killed him...it seems an impossibility now for them to ever feel that way about me. So...I'm trying to just get over them, but it's not easy."

Moka frowned and gently took his hand in hers, giving him a supportive squeeze. "Naruto-kun...if it helps, I'm here for you. I loved Tsukune-kun, but I don't blame you at all for what happened. I still feel as if it's my fault…" Sighing, she closed her eyes and shook her head. "I know I shouldn't, but I can't help it. You...you did _nothing_ wrong, Naruto-kun. If...if I had just listened to you and distanced myself just as you were trying to do...he'd still be alive. But it's like I said before: Tsukune-kun didn't own me. I was free to spend time with whoever I wanted to spend time with. I refused to let his jealousy control me. Did...did he really think so little of me and my feelings?!"

Naruto was a bit shocked at what she was saying, especially by her last question. "Moka-chan, I don't know how to answer that. But from what I saw and from what I heard from him…" Shaking his head, he closed his eyes and took a sip of his tea. Gathering his thoughts, he continued. "Tsukune was so insecure that he didn't believe you truly loved him. He also seemed to view you as his prize, as a person that belonged only to him. When you spent time with another guy, myself in this case, his insecurity would lead to jealousy and he didn't know how to deal with that other than try to push me away from you. Tsukune's goal was to control who you spent time with. So long as you only spent time with fellow women, it was fine. Another guy, though? No, that was apparently a crime. Tsukune's behavior honestly pissed me off and I'll admit it, I grew to **hate** him. But I didn't kill him out of jealousy or hatred. I just wish people understood that." he said with a sigh.

Moka could feel tears building up in her eyes as she set her teacup down. "That's...about what I figured. If he believed in me and my feelings, he would **never** have done what he did. It feels like he didn't really appreciate me. It hurts…"

The Kyuubi moved over to Moka's side and hugged her close, allowing her to just cry out all her frustrations with the mess into his shirt. "I'm sorry, Moka-chan. I know it hurts. If...if it helps, I'll tell you about my lost love interest. It's the same time I met Gaara…"

Moka blinked as she looked up into his eyes. "You mean...something happened between you and Gaara-kun that caused you to lose your love interest?"

Naruto sighed and nodded his head in the affirmative. "Yes. There was a girl that looked similar to you, actually, that I used to really like. But...she wanted absolutely NOTHING to do with me. Instead, she was obsessed with a boy by the name of Sasuke Uchiha. He had the whole 'bad boy' vibe, but in truth he was just a prick. He had all these girls that wanted to get into his pants and some of them were genuinely interested in him romantically. But, like Tsukune when it came to anyone other than you, he ignored them and treated them like crap."

Sighing softly, Naruto gently began running his fingers through Moka's long, pink hair. "Anyways...Sakura was always punching me and hitting me. If I so much as tried to talk to her, she'd hit me. Whenever Sasuke wouldn't respond to her advances, she'd take out her frustrations by hitting me, thinking it was _my_ fault. No matter what, she was always hitting me. Thinking back on it, I have no idea why I even liked her. I think the answer is because I was stupid and didn't know any better."

"Anyways, skipping ahead a while, Gaara was part of a plot to invade and destroy my village, Konohagakure. Sasuke tried to fight him, but he lost _badly_. Sakura was pinned to a tree by some of Gaara's sand and it was slowly crushing her to death. I began fighting Gaara with everything I had, but when he released his bijuu, I tried to fight him with the power of my bijuu. Problem is...before I could stop it, the Ichibi killed Sakura. And, I'm sure Mikogami probably already told you, but Gaara and I used to be Humans. At the end of our battle, though, our bijuus 'merged' with us and we became the new Ichibi and Kyuubi respectively. After that, our villages intended to use us as the ultimate weapons to be used in defense of our villages and to vanquish our enemies. At first, I hated Gaara for what he had done. But I chose to forgive him and we became really good friends over time."

Sighing softly, he shook his head and looked into Moka's eyes. "Moka-chan, I blamed myself and my weakness for Sakura's death. It hurt for a while, but after some time, I became a better person for that experience. I let it motivate me into becoming stronger. So...just give it some time, okay? You may have loved Tsukune, but if he didn't value your friendship and your love, just as Sakura didn't, then you're better off without him. I know that's cruel to say, but you deserve to be happy. It'll take some time to get over him, but you'll eventually get past this. You'll also realize that you _aren't_ to blame for his death. Just as I wasn't to blame for Sakura's death. You did everything you could have to try and show him how much you cared for him. It just wasn't enough. He was like Sasuke in that regard, unfortunately."

Releasing another heavy sigh, he brought a hand to his face and shook his head. "Sasuke...was a horrible person that wanted nothing but power. He wanted more and more power so he could one day kill his brother. When he attempted to abandon the village to go and join one of our village's biggest traitors, I was part of the team sent to retrieve him. Sasuke attempted to kill me, and my orders at the time were to bring him back by any means necessary. In order to protect myself _and_ complete my mission, I was forced to kill him and drag his carcass back to Konoha. That...was not a pleasant experience. The people practically _worshipped_ Sasuke and viewed me as nothing more than a monster. So...yeah, the people kinda made my life even more of a hell than it already was."

Moka stared into his eyes as she tried to process everything she had just been told. After a moment, she simply rested her head against his chest and said, "Thank you, Naruto-kun. For sharing that with me, I mean. And for being here for me. It means a lot."

"Of course Moka-chan." he said before placing a light kiss atop her head, causing her to blush a bit. "I'll always be here for you, I promise."

The pink-haired vampire closed her eyes and yawned cutely. After a moment, she rubbed at her eyes and said, "Thank you...Naru-kun." before slowly dozing off to sleep in his arms.

Chuckling a bit at this, he lifted her up and placed her on his bed, allowing her to sleep for now. _She deserves to get some rest. She's been through a lot lately._ He thought to himself before he began working on some homework that he had yet to do. _Still can't help but think about what the other Moka said to me before. I'm allowed to court her? I'm not even sure how I feel about her. I refused to come between her and Tsukune, but…_ Looking at Moka, he frowned. _Do I feel that way about her? I can't tell…_ This was a question that would haunt him for the rest of the day...

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**A/N - Okey dokey, that's the chapter for ya! Hopefully you enjoyed it.**

**Anywho, as you can see, this chapter dealt with the immediate aftermath of what happened in the previous chapter. There wasn't any action or anything, just a bunch of conversations and whatnot.**

**I don't really have much else to say on the chapter itself, so I'd just like to say that there's a good chance this might be the last chapter for about a week. I'm heading to a convention called NDK (Nan Desu Kon) in Denver, Colorado starting Thursday night. It'll last the entirety of the weekend. For now, I'm trying to get prepared for the con and I'm trying to take care of a few other things as well. So this might end up being the last chapter I write for anything for a little while. So...yeah.**


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N - Okay, I decided to do another chapter for this story. I'm STILL getting flak for killing off Tsukune, buuut...who cares, right? lol. Anyways, something you need to know before starting this chapter is that it takes place an entire month after the events of last chapter. It's mentioned a few times throughout the chapter, but I wanted to let you all know right now that there was a time skip between this chapter and the last one.**

**Anyways, somebody brought up the fact that I hadn't shown Kushina in a while, so I'd like to apologize for that. She and Naruto were still talking about things together, but I neglected showing scenes of the two of them interacting with one another. So I _tried_ to remedy that in this chapter at points. Hopefully it turned out well.**

**Alright, with all of that out of the way, enjoy the chapter!**

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**Chapter 5 - Destined One**

"_Sweetheart, how are you feeling now?_" Kushina asked her son via their link. "_Are you still trying to sort out your feelings?_"

Naruto sighed and shook his head. _Sort of. I mean, how am I supposed to figure out if I have feelings for Moka-chan? She was so in love with Tsukune that I never even thought about it before Inner Moka brought it up. As you know, I've kind of been avoiding her ever since she brought it up. On top of that, Kurumu-chan and Yukari-chan have been avoiding me. Ririko-chan and Ruby-chan are the only ones I've been spending any time with._

"_I understand sweetheart. But would you like to know something?_"

Naruto quirked a brow and asked, _What?_

"_You don't need to come to any answers right now. You have plenty of time to think it all through and come to a proper decision about what to do. I'll be here to help you every step of the way. But, and I'm sure you know this, you need to think about what to do about those Outcast Ayashis. You know as well as I do that they aren't finished yet. There's no telling what they're up to, exactly._"

Naruto nodded in understanding of this. With a sigh, he began to massage the bridge of his nose. _True. I'll just have to figure out what to do about the girls later. For now, Gaara and I need to find out what those Outcast Ayashi are up to and put a stop to it. You're absolutely right about that. But...Mom?_

"_Yes, sweetheart? What's on your mind?_" Kushina asked.

_Do you think you can give me some advice about what to do with the girls? I still like Kurumu-chan and Yukari-chan, but...well, one of them wanted to kill me, and the other is kind of avoiding me right now._

Kushina didn't reply at first, which made Naruto kind of nervous. After a while, when she did start to speak again, he felt relief wash over him. "_If I were you, I'd avoid Kurumu. She wanted to _murder_ you, after all. She was so obsessed with that Tsukune kid that she was blinded to everything that was wrong with that entire situation. My recommendation is to get over her and move on. I just can't trust a girl like that with my precious baby boy. As for Yukari-chan, just give her some time to think on things for a while. She seems like a really sweet girl, and I think she'd be good for you._"

Before Naruto could reply, Kushina sensed his thoughts and shook her head before saying, "_Naruto-kun, I know you care for her, but Kurumu wanted to _kill_ you to avenge her precious Tsukune-kun. You remember how Sakura treated you, don't you? Beating you in an effort to impress her 'Sasuke-kun'. It was a volatile situation and she just wasn't right for you, sweetheart. Kurumu…_" Kushina sighed and went quiet for a time before she finally said, "_I just can't trust her with you, not if she was so willing to kill you for a boy that didn't even love her. It's just like what those stupid fangirls of Sasuke tried to do when you killed him. I don't want you to be with a rabid fangirl. I suppose if she changes for the better, then it's _possible_, but with how obsessed she was with Tsukune...I just can't see it. Sure, Gaara-kun managed to talk her down and really make her think about things, but…_"

Naruto sighed and clenched his eyes shut tight. It took everything he had to fight off the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes. _You're right, Mom. I know you are. But I can't help it. I care about her and want her to be happy. I...I took away what made her happy._

"_No, you took away the source of her suffering. It was a false happiness that she was experiencing. Inside, she knew what was going on, but she blinded herself to the truth, just as a true fangirl does. And it's okay, honey. There's nothing saying you have to get over her right this second. But if she thinks she can just hurt you for doing the right thing, she's got another thing coming. I _will_ possess a shadow clone and kick her ass if that's what it takes!_"

Her son simply chuckled a bit at that before saying, _I love you Mom. I understand what you're saying perfectly. I just...I wish…_

"_I know sweetheart. You really fell hard for her and she hurt you. Just like Sakura in the past. Try to focus your attention on dealing with any threats to the school and its people for the time being. I don't know what those Outcast Ayashi want or what they have planned, so focus your attention on them and try to figure out what exactly they're up to._" Kushina suggested, trying to divert his attention away from Kurumu and Yukari.

Naruto nodded once in acceptance before saying, _Got it. I have a feeling they wanted something from Tsukune, but with him gone… Hmm…_

With a shrug of his shoulders, Naruto stopped meditating and stood up, walking to his door and opening it slowly. Seeing Gaara standing on the other side, he offered his best friend a smile and said, "Hey there Gaara. We need to talk about a few things."

Gaara nodded. "Yes, we do. I wanted to discuss a few things with you as well. Mind if I come in?"

Naruto motioned for Gaara to come in and went back to his bed, sitting on it and waiting for Gaara to take a seat somewhere. "First, I wanted to thank you, Gaara, for talking Kurumu-chan and Mizore down. Mizore's been avoiding you, hasn't she?"

Gaara sighed and closed his eyes. "Yes. I'm...trying to get over her. She became something of a fangirl for Tsukune, and… Well, to put it simply, it hurts. What made it worse is that she wanted to _kill_ you for doing the right thing. I could never be to her what Tsukune was. I can't understand why those girls were so crazy about Tsukune. No matter how much I think on it, the fact that those girls fell for him is beyond me."

Naruto frowned and said, "I'm sorry man. I know how it feels, I truly do. You remember Sakura, right?"

Gaara nodded and said, "She was a true disgrace to what a kunoichi is supposed to be. What about her?"

"Well, Sakura was a diehard Sasuke fangirl. She abused me to try and make Sasuke recognize her, but it never worked out well for her. That's not the point though. I want you to take a moment to think about what makes her and the two girls we're crazy about so similar. My mom pointed it out to me, and I'm sad to say that I agree with her 100%." Naruto said, hoping his friend would figure it out for himself.

Thinking on it for a time, the redhead sighed and closed his eyes. "Kurumu and Mizore-chan were fangirls for Tsukune. And like any true fangirl, the moment their object of affection was taken out of the picture, they turned on the one that removed him. It makes sense. I hate it, but...you're right. We never stood a chance with Kurumu and Mizore-chan, did we, Naruto?"

Naruto walked over to his friend and patted him on the shoulder. "You can thank my mom for pointing it out to me. Only time will tell though, really. I honestly have no idea what to expect from them."

"It's probably best not to dwell on it, Naruto. For now, let's just leave the girls alone. We've got something else to worry about right now." Gaara said, looking his friend in the eyes again. As one, they both said, "The Outcast Ayashi."

The blonde sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah. We need to look into that group and see what we can find out. If need be, we exterminate them to protect everyone."

Gaara nodded in agreement and was about to reply, but he sensed someone at the door. "Naruto, we've got a guest."

Naruto sighed and walked to his door, opening it slowly. His eyes widened when he saw who it was. "K-Kurumu? You're...not here to try and kill me, right?"

The lack of the -chan suffix at the end of her name bothered her more than she'd like to admit. Pushing that aside, she stared at his chest, unable to look him in the eyes, and said, "I'd be lying if I said I didn't think about it. Gaara's words really got me thinking though, and...I've decided that it wouldn't be right to kill you because of what happened. I'm here because...because we need to talk."

Frowning, Naruto stepped aside and allowed Kurumu entrance into his room. Shutting the door behind her, Naruto followed her into his room and sat down beside Gaara while Kurumu sat on the bed. "What did you want to talk about, Kurumu?"

Flinching again at the lack of suffix, she soon released a heavy sigh and asked, "Why aren't you calling me -chan anymore?"

Quirking a brow at the odd question, he soon realized that he was no longer calling her by an affectionate suffix. Sighing, he looked down at his hands and said, "Kurumu...whether you know it or not, you hurt me. Someone special to me helped me realize that...that you were like Sakura Haruno. You...you were a diehard Tsukune fangirl. Please don't try to deny it either, because you really were. I cared for you a great deal, and seeing Tsukune spurn your advances like that? It bothered me. But more than that, I was reminded a great deal of the dynamic between Sasuke Uchiha and his fangirls."

Before Kurumu could ask him about Sakura and Sasuke, Naruto looked her in the eyes and said, "Tsukune was like Sasuke. Sasuke was selfish and only cared for himself and power. He had quite the ego and he believed himself to be an 'elite', better than everyone else. He had a bunch of fangirls and he lived a pretty good life compared to a lot of people. He was spoiled rotten and...well, let's just say he turned into a really lousy person."

Sighing softly, he looked back down at his hands and continued. "Like I said, Sasuke was selfish and only wanted power. He spurned the advances of all of his fangirls, no matter how attractive some of them were. And every time he did that, he hurt those girls more and more until they were practically dead inside. Sakura...was probably his most diehard fangirl. She'd beat me in an effort to impress her precious 'Sasuke-kun'. Always berated me, always put me down...it was a volatile relationship between us. I later realized that she wasn't even a friend to me, let alone a possible romantic interest. But the harder she tried to win over Sasuke, the worse she felt inside. I could see it plain as day. But if I tried to be nice to her and cheer her up, she'd hit me as hard as she possibly could for even _daring_ to speak to her."

"Kurumu...you and Tsukune were almost _exactly_ like Sakura and Sasuke. He was incredibly selfish and possessive, and he only cared about one person other than himself: Moka Akashiya. Even then, he treated her like she was his possession rather than as a person. Moka's a beautiful person, inside and out, and she deserved to be treated a LOT better than how she was. Tsukune never gave you the time of day. He spurned your advances and focused almost entirely on Moka-chan. You, Mizore, and Yukari weren't even on his radar. But, as soon as I was forced to kill him, you and Mizore decided that I had to die for daring to take away your precious 'Tsukune-kun'. I was suddenly a criminal in your eyes and my sentence was execution. You and Mizore were so obsessed with Tsukune that...that…"

Gaara, seeing his friend's unease, placed a comforting hand upon his shoulder. Turning to Kurumu, the redhead said, "You two behaved irrationally. You hurt Naruto and me with your actions. Naruto is my best friend, and Mizore is my crush...or at least she was. I'll always do whatever it takes to keep my friend safe and happy. Now...I'm not sure if I can ever look at Mizore the same way again. And Naruto cared a great deal for you, Kurumu. But...your actions broke his heart. You didn't value your friendship with him _at all_. As soon as he took away the object of your affection, you went off the deep end. It's obvious to the both of us that your friendship with the both of us was a superficial one. You never truly cared about Naruto. He was just a nice person that you occasionally used to make yourself feel better. You were selfish and cruel. Now, your presence here is only hurting Naruto. I suggest you leave."

Kurumu looked like she had been struck. Looking to be on the verge of tears, she said, "But...Naruto…? I...I didn't realize…"

Gaara narrowed his eyes at her and said, "I said _leave_. You need to give Naruto some time to get over you, because right now, you're only hurting him."

It was at this point that the tears began to cascade down her cheeks. "N-Naruto...I'm sorry. I'm really...really sorry." she said, hiccuping once before she turned and fled his room.

The two friends could hear Kurumu sobbing as she made her way back to her own dorm room. Closing his eyes tight, Naruto quietly said, "Thanks...Gaara. Kami this hurts."

Gaara hugged his friend and said, "It'll be okay, Naruto. We can help each other through this. For now, let's put this behind us and focus on our mission. It might help to just take your mind off of the heartbreak and crush our foes. I know it'll make me feel better." he joked.

Wiping his tears away, Naruto nodded and hugged his friend back, patting his back a couple of times. "Thanks man. Let's go. We need to hunt down these Outcasts and crush them before they can cause any harm."

"Agreed." Gaara said before he stood up and helped his friend up. Leaving his room, they glanced around to see if anyone was watching them or something. Determining that there was no one around, they left the guys' dorm and began their walk to the school. They would first meet with Mikogami and talk with him about what they planned to do. Once they had done that, the hunt would begin. _Beware Ayashi, for you have made an enemy of us demons._

_**Yukari**_

Yukari was a little surprised when Kurumu showed up at her door with tears streaming down her cheeks and looking like she had been through hell. Quietly letting her into her dorm room, she shut the door behind her and proceeded to make her way to the small kitchen in her room where she quickly made some tea for the both of them.

Sitting down opposite Kurumu once the tea was set before them, she asked, "What's wrong? Did somebody hurt you?"

The beautiful succubus shook her head before taking a calming sip of her tea. "I...I went to see Naruto-kun. I wanted to apologize. But...but…"

Yukari gently patted Kurumu's hand to show her support. "Go on. You can tell me Kurumu. What happened?"

The blue-haired girl frowned as she looked into her teacup. "It didn't exactly go as planned. Naruto-kun told me about a guy named Sasuke Uchiha and a girl named Sakura Haruno. He...compared me and my relationship with Tsukune-kun to those two. Sasuke sounded like a real selfish asshole, and Sakura...Sakura sounded like a massive bitch. But...being compared to the two of them...it hurt. I was called a diehard Tsukune fangirl and they said I acted exactly how Sasuke's rabid fangirls behaved. I think the part that hurts the worst is the fact that I couldn't deny it. He's right. And...I don't know why, but he's not calling me Kurumu-chan anymore. It's just Kurumu. And for some reason, it hurts inside. And then, when I went to apologize and say something, Gaara told me to leave. Naruto-kun looked so hurt when I left. I...I don't think he likes me anymore."

After Kurumu was done, Yukari looked at her calmly for a while before sighing and shaking her head. "I don't know much about Sasuke or Sakura, as he hasn't really talked much about them to me. From what I understand, Sasuke was a total dick and Sakura was just awful. I'm surprised Naruto would compare you and Tsukune to them."

Frowning at Kurumu at this point, the young witch said, "As for him not calling you -chan anymore? It seems like you've hurt him a lot more than you could have imagined. And maybe, just maybe, you're starting to realize something important about you and Naruto-kun. After all, he was completely immune to your charm magic, right? That right there tells me something big. And just so you know, you kind of brought this upon yourself. It's your own fault."

Flinching, Kurumu stayed quiet for a while as she thought about everything that had happened recently. Closing her eyes, she let the tears flow as she said, "I know. I feel terrible about it, but…"

"But? Kurumu, you wanted to _kill_ him! You and Mizore have burned that bridge with Naruto-kun and Gaara. And if Naruto-kun really _is_ your destined one, what the hell are you going to do?! You'll be lucky if he even feels normal around you again. And poor Gaara. He liked Mizore so much, but she wanted to kill his best friend. Possibly his _only_ friend. She's damaged that relationship almost irreparably. I don't know if Gaara will ever let her or another girl into his heart again! Face it Kurumu, you two fucked up and need to deal with it!" Yukari shouted at her, clearly frustrated with the both of them.

Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, Kurumu opened her eyes and stared down at her lap. "What if he _is_ my destined one? We succubi search so hard for our destined one. When we find our destined one...we _need_ to win them over. It's so hard to find one and we succubi are suffering for it. I honestly believed Tsukune-kun was my destined one, but…"

Yukari sighed and nodded her head in understanding. "Tsukune was only interested in Moka-chan. Looking back on it, he wasn't the greatest guy. They say hindsight is 20/20, and I have to admit that whoever said that is right. Tsukune was selfish, only thinking about himself in the grand scheme of things. You would have had to go on the search for a new destined one at some point because you never had a chance at winning him over. Nobody really did. I'm sorry, but it's the truth."

Nodding slowly in agreement with Yukari's sentiment, Kurumu said, "You're completely right. What do I do now? If Naruto-kun's my true destined one, what am I supposed to do?"

The witch shook her head and said, "I don't know. I do know you can't just ignore him. If you really want to test the waters a bit and see if he's truly your destined one, you have to be proactive and try to worm your way back into his heart. If you don't keep chasing him, you _will_ lose him. Especially now that he's trying to get over you. You need to show him that you're right for him somehow."

Kurumu frowned and said, "I'm not even sure if I want to be with him like that yet. I really liked Tsukune-kun, but…" She released a sigh at this point and shook her head. "You're right. If he's my destined one, I need to win a place in his heart again. I regret ever trying to kill him. I was in the wrong and...and I feel terrible for acting like that."

"Then prove it to him. Like I said before, you don't want him to get over you. You need to keep his interest." Yukari said, trying to motivate Kurumu.

The beautiful succubus nodded slowly and wiped the tears from her eyes and face. After taking a moment to calm down, she realized something and looked straight into Yukari's eyes. "We keep talking about me screwing up and having to chase after him now, but what about you? You've been avoiding Naruto-kun ever since you spoke to him after Tsukune's death. So why aren't you following your own advice and chasing after him?"

Yukari blushed and looked away, unable to look her in the eyes. "I...I'm nervous, okay? I really liked Tsukune, but…" Sighing softly, she let a smile creep across her face. "Nobody's ever treated me as nice as Naruto-kun has. He makes me feel special. But...there's that CRA thing to think about. If I choose to get together with him, I'd have to share him. I'm scared that I'd just be pushed aside for someone prettier…"

Kurumu sighed at that and said, "Yukari, you're very pretty right now. You've got a great figure for a 15 year-old girl. On top of that, you're kind and very sweet. Do you _really_ think Naruto would ignore you in favor of any other girl he's in a relationship with?"

The beautiful young witch blushed and said, "You're right. I think I already knew that, but I was afraid to admit it. I'm just nervous. I think it's because I'm not used to someone actually showing me such affection. I really should go and talk to him again…"

"I'd come with you if I could, but Gaara doesn't want me around right now…" Kurumu said, sighing sadly afterwards.

Yukari moved over to Kurumu and gave her a gentle hug. "You can always try again later, Kurumu. I'm going to go and talk to him. Feel free to rest here if you'd like."

Kurumu shook her head and rose to her feet, helping Yukari up as well. "I'm going to come with you. I really want to talk to him, whether Gaara likes it or not."

The witch nodded in understanding and gave her friend a smile. "Of course. Let's go!" And with that, the two of them left the witch's dorm room and began making their way to Naruto's dorm room.

A short while later, once they reached Naruto's dorm room, they knocked to try and get his attention. However, there was no answer. Looking at each other, they couldn't help but wonder where the heck Naruto and Gaara had gone off to. "Kurumu, we should go see the Headmaster. I think he'll know where they went."

"Agreed. Let's go!" Kurumu exclaimed before she and Yukari began rushing off.

_**Naruto & Gaara**_

"Seems Mikogami's information was spot on. Looks like we've found their little base of operations. And look, they've even come out to greet us!" Naruto said with a chuckle. "This should be fun."

Gaara smirked and nodded his head in agreement. "Let's teach them a lesson, shall we?"

"Lemme guess, all of you are simply sacrificial pawns in the grand scheme of things?" Naruto asked with a smirk on his face. "Too bad for you, but I really don't care if you're a simple peon or a leader. I'll just crush all of you and remove you as a threat to Yokai Academy."

"You're quite cocky for being such a weakling." someone said as he stepped forward. "You've made a mistake in choosing to cross us."

Gaara smiled as he looked at the teen across from them. "You look important. Are you the leader of the Outcast Ayashi, by any chance?"

The young man shook his head and said, "No, that honor goes to someone else. My name is Kiria Yoshii. And you two are the so-called Guardians of Yokai Academy, are you not?"

Naruto grinned and said, "You're definitely the one in charge of these goons. I can't help but wonder what the one you serve is like. Tell me, would he miss you should you die here?"

The Monstrel frowned deeply and waved the goon squad forward. "Kill them. You know what will happen should you fail."

Naruto looked at Gaara and smiled cruelly. "Why don't you have a little bit of fun? I can wait for the main course."

Kiria scowled at this and said, "You're awfully cocky, aren't you Uzumaki? Very well, if your friend wins this fight, I'll fight you as you wish."

Naruto quirked a brow and shook his head. "Sounds like you're the cocky one. Who said you were the main course? You're just another nameless peon. No, I'm going to kill your leader and make it painful as hell."

Kiria snarled at the blatant disrespect Naruto was showing him. Preparing to go on the attack, he wasn't ready for a wave of sand to wash over him. When he realized what was happening, he turned his head to look at Gaara, only to see him in his monster form, killing everyone caught in his sand.

The Monstrel struggled as much as he could against the sand, but he couldn't free himself in time. Gaara smirked wickedly as he crushed Kiria's body in his sand, letting the blood soak his sand.

Dropping the dead bodies, Gaara recalled all of his sand and smiled at his friend. "After you. You did claim the leader as your target, after all."

"Such a gentleman. Thank you, Gaara." Naruto said before he began leading Gaara in search of the leader of this group of Outcast Ayashi.

_**Yukari & Kurumu**_

"What do you mean you can't tell us?!" Kurumu shouted, clearly not liking what she had just heard.

Mikogami sighed and leaned forward in his chair. Looking both girls in the eyes, he said, "It's exactly as I said. Naruto-kun and Gaara-kun are busy dealing with a threat to the academy and everyone living here. They decided to hunt down the Outcast Ayashi that threatened Tsukune and Moka-chan before and deal with them."

Kurumu looked genuinely worried for them and asked, "Isn't that dangerous though?! Going by themselves…"

Yukari frowned and shook her head. "No, not for them. Naruto-kun's a powerful S-class monster. I'm pretty sure Gaara is too. Their enemies won't be able to win against them, especially if they're working together."

Mikogami smiled and nodded his head. "Precisely. I see you already know what Naruto-kun is, Yukari-chan. Thank you for keeping his secret." Looking at Kurumu at this point, he said, "I'm sure you're wondering exactly what they are. I can tell you, but you must promise to keep their secret."

Kurumu nodded immediately and said, "I promise I won't tell anyone! I just want to know that they're okay."

Yukari smirked slightly and thought, _More like you want to know Naruto-kun's safe._

The headmaster chuckled and said, "Gaara-kun is an Ichibi, an S-class monster. Naruto is more powerful however. He's a Kyuubi."

Kurumu's eyes widened in shock and her jaw practically dropped. "N-No way. You're...you're kidding...right?" Seeing Mikogami looking at her seriously, Kurumu nodded slowly before collapsing on her butt. "I was prepared to attack a Kyuubi…"

Yukari nodded and giggled nervously. "Yeah, that's not the smartest thing you've ever done. He's really sweet though!"

"Y-Yeah, you're right Yukari." Rising to her feet again, Kurumu asked, "Headmaster...do you think you can get him to, um, t-talk to me? I really want to apologize to him. And...I want to test something."

Mikogami offered her a kind smile and said, "Of course. Would you like to wait here for him? He'll be returning shortly, I'm sure."

Kurumu blushed a bit and nodded her head. "Yes, please. What about you, Yukari?"

"Yes, I'd like to wait here as well. I really want to talk to him and tell him something important." the beautiful young witch said before she and Kurumu took a seat to wait for Naruto to return.

_**Later**_

After waiting for quite some time, they saw Naruto and Gaara appear in Mikogami's office as if from thin air. Ignoring Kurumu and Yukari for the moment, they approached the headmaster and bowed politely to him. "It is done, Headmaster. The Outcast Ayashi have been exterminated." Gaara said.

Mikogami gave them both a small smile and said, "Well done. I'm sorry you two had to do that, but I would rather not risk any harm coming to my students and faculty. If you need to vent to me later, I'll be more than happy to listen."

"Thank you, Headmaster." Naruto said. "I may just take you up on that later. I will _never_ enjoy killing people. And...it never gets easier."

Gaara sighed and nodded his head in agreement. "I...am ashamed to admit that I once enjoyed it. I felt that killing was the only way to prove my existence. But after Naruto helped set me straight, I've realized that killing for the sake of killing is wrong. I only want to kill to protect those dear to me. I don't want to go back to that dark part of my life."

Mikogami nodded in understanding before motioning towards Kurumu and Yukari, who were looking rather anxious. "Naruto-kun, you have friends here that want to speak with you."

Naruto looked at the both of them and sighed quietly to himself. "Alright, I'll stay and listen. What did you two want to talk to me about?"

Yukari looked at Kurumu and nodded. "You go first Kurumu."

Kurumu stood up and walked up to Naruto. Upon reaching him, she hugged him tight and said, "I'm so sorry. I should never have said the things I did and I shouldn't have acted in such a horrible manner. I've been really thinking about it, and...I want to be absolutely sure about something."

Before he could even ask what she was talking about, Kurumu tried to use her charm magic on him again. Looking calmly into her eyes, he said, "You know that won't work on me, Kurumu. Why are you trying it again?"

The blue-haired succubus smiled at this and said, "You really are the one, aren't you?"

Naruto blinked in confusion before saying, "I assume you mean your destined one?"

Kurumu nodded and said, "Naruto-kun, it's been weeks since Tsukune's death, and...and I want to make things better between us. I don't want to be angry anymore, and I don't want to hurt you. I...I want us both to be happy. And after taking some time to really think about it, I realized something important. You _are_ my destined one. So, will you please spend time with me again? Even...even if you don't want me anymore, I want to be near you."

The blonde sighed and rubbed the back of his head. After a moment, he held up a finger and said, "Give me a moment Kurumu-chan." And with that, he closed his eyes and began speaking to his mother. _Mom? What do you think I should do?_

Kushina hummed in thought for a while before saying, "_I stand by what I said before. I don't trust her. But I trust your judgment, honey. Do what you feel is right._"

Naruto frowned and said, _Alright. I know I probably shouldn't, but I trust her. I don't want to be suspicious of everyone and their motives. I...I care about her, Mom. Something tells me that she's serious about this._

Kushina could be heard sighing, but she relented and said, "_As you wish sweetie. Just be careful, okay? If she breaks your heart…_" She left the threat hanging and Naruto easily got the message.

_Of course._ Looking into Kurumu's eyes, he said, "I trust you, Kurumu-chan. I still care about you, and I still want you to be happy. I just want to see you smile."

The succubus blushed and nodded slowly, looking pretty shy. After a moment however, she looked into his eyes and said, "P-Please close your eyes, Naruto-kun." When he did as she requested, Kurumu leaned in close, pressing her sizeable breasts against his chest, and captured his lips with her own. After a short while, she deepened the kiss and moaned slightly at how good it felt to be doing this. When she finally pulled back a minute later, she was flushed and breathing heavily. "Wow."

Naruto was blushing fiercely and said, "Yeah. Wow. I...I wasn't expecting that."

Kurumu smiled sweetly at him and said, "You are my destined one, Naruto-kun. I want to give a relationship between us a real chance. I'm dead serious about this. It's...it's what I want. So please, don't spurn my advances like _he_ did. Don't hurt me…"

Naruto hugged Kurumu close to him and leaned in, kissing her again, causing her to moan again. When they separated this time, she practically whimpered at the loss of contact. "I will _never_ hurt you. I love you, Kurumu-chan. Very, very much. I want you to be happy, no matter what."

Before Kurumu could say anything in response, Yukari walked up, grabbed Naruto by the collar of his shirt, and pulled him in for a passionate kiss. When they separated, Yukari smirked at him and said, "I've decided that I'm going to share you with Kagome-sensei and anyone else that wants to be with you. You've been wonderful to me and I feel safe when I'm with you. I'm sorry I avoided you for so long, I was just afraid that you might…"

Naruto sighed and hugged her and Kurumu closer. "You were afraid I'd neglect you in favor of the others. I understand. It's okay Yukari-chan. I won't neglect you like that. Just like Kurumu-chan, you mean the world to me. I want you both to be happy."

Yukari nodded and rested her head against his chest. Kurumu on the other hand was whimpering at the loss of a certain kind of contact. Hearing this, Naruto kissed her lips again before pulling back and smirking at her. "You're too cute Kurumu-chan."

Blushing fiercely, Kurumu simply nodded and rested against him. "My destined one…" she mumbled as she closed her eyes and just listened to his heartbeat.

Naruto was blushing deeply and looked to Gaara for help. "Gaara, they've fallen asleep on their feet. Help?"

Gaara simply smirked at his friend and waved goodbye to him before vanishing, leaving Naruto to 'suffer'. As soon as he was gone, Naruto sighed and looked at the headmaster. "Any suggestions Headmaster?"

"Take them back to your room and let them rest. Use your shadow clones if you must." Mikogami said. He sounded awfully amused by the situation and Naruto grumbled a bit at the man.

"Thanks. I guess I'll be going then." Naruto said before vanishing with Kurumu and Yukari still clinging to him in their sleep.

When Naruto appeared in his room moments later, he gently pried the two of them off of him before laying them down in his bed and on his couch. Sighing softly, he went into the small kitchen in his room and proceeded to brew some tea. _My life is so strange, I swear._

_**An hour later**_

Naruto was a bit startled when he heard knocking on his door. Rising to his feet, he went to the door and opened it to see who was on the other side. Seeing the familiar pink hair and green eyes, Naruto smiled and said, "Hi Moka-chan. What's up?"

Moka followed Naruto into his dorm room, prepared to speak with him about something that she deemed to be important. However, when she saw Kurumu and Yukari sleeping on the bed and couch respectively, she blinked a couple of times before turning to Naruto. "What are they doing here?"

Naruto sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Honestly? They both fell asleep hugging me. I kind of just brought them here so they can get the rest they need. It's been a long day."

"That doesn't really answer my question. What exactly happened between you three?" Moka asked curiously.

"I've found my destined one." Kurumu said as she sat up and stretched. Yawning for a moment, she got up and walked over to Naruto. Looking at him with a smirk, she sat down in his lap and got herself comfortable before leaning her back against his chest. "Much better."

Naruto and Moka both blushed a deep shade of red. "I...see. What about your feelings for Tsukune-kun?"

Kurumu shook her head and said, "It's been weeks, an entire month actually, since Tsukune died. I've had some time to really think about everything, especially after Gaara-kun opened my eyes. Naru-kun's my destined one. I...I feel so good with him. His kisses are like magic."

Naruto noticed as Moka's eye twitched. It happened so fast that he wasn't sure he saw that right at first. Looking deep into her eyes, he could tell she wasn't happy with what she had just heard. _I wonder why…_

Moka, deciding to change the subject, looked at Naruto and said, "Anyways, I came by to check on a few things. Naruto-kun, have you finished your article for the week? And, um, d-do you need any help with your homework? I'm more than willing to help you if you want."

Naruto smiled at her and said, "Yep! I'm all finished with my article. I just need to deliver it to Gin. And I don't have much homework left, but I would definitely love the help if you're offering. Thank you."

The pink-haired vampire smiled sweetly at him and said, "Of course Naruto-kun! And, um...if you're busy after this, I can take your article to Gin. You're...not going to do homework with her on your lap, are you?"

Chuckling softly, Naruto kissed Kurumu's neck before whispering in her ear. "Kurumu-chan, please get off. If you want, we can cuddle later, but I _do_ need to get this homework out of the way."

Kurumu pouted at him before she grinded on his lap a bit, causing a certain reaction from him. Smirking back at him, she got off his lap and sat down next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'll be holding you to that Naru-kun."

Naruto started blushing again and said quietly to Kurumu, "I love you, Kuru-chan."

Nuzzling against him, Kurumu simply smiled and closed her eyes, basking in his warmth. She listened as her destined one created a shadow clone and had it gather his unfinished homework. _My destined one… This feels so wonderful. I've never felt this way before, not even with Tsukune. I can't get enough of this warm feeling._

Seeing this, Moka's eye twitched a couple more times and she began to smile sweetly at her. "Kurumu, can you please let Naruto-kun focus on his homework rather than rubbing up against him like that?"

Kurumu simply stuck her tongue out at Moka, who narrowed her eyes at the girl. Before either of them could say anything, Naruto began looking through his homework. After a short while of this, he found what he wanted and laid it on the table for Moka to see. "I've been having trouble with this. English is a lot harder than I thought it would be. Then there's math. I've never been good at math."

Moka smiled at him and said, "I'll gladly help you in any way I can Naruto-kun. Now, let's see…"

And so, Naruto and Moka began going over his homework while Kurumu could feel her brain practically melting into a pile of goop. _I have no idea what the heck they're talking about here…_

_**A couple hours later**_

Yukari yawned as she woke up and stretched out on the couch. Upon realizing where she was, she looked at Naruto to see Kurumu sleeping against him while he and Moka went over his homework. Slipping next to Naruto, she placed a kiss on his cheek before looking at the homework he and Moka were working on. "Would you two like some help?"

Moka let a scowl briefly appear on her face before she smiled sweetly and said, "We're fine. Naruto-kun's a fast learner and is picking up on everything pretty quickly. We're actually almost done now."

Yukari frowned in thought for a moment as she looked at Moka. After a little while, she asked, "Moka-chan? Are you jealous?"

The pink-haired vampire narrowed her eyes at Yukari before shooting a glare at Kurumu. Afterwards, she sighed and closed her eyes. "I loved Tsukune-kun. I know it's been a month since his death...but I just can't move on that easily."

Kurumu mumbled out, "Liar. You've totally got feelings for Naruto-kun. But if you want to deny it, that's your loss."

Moka frowned at this before looking at the two of them. "You two were always bickering with each other before. What makes this relationship so different? You two aren't arguing, you aren't attacking each other, it's all so strange to me. And isn't Naruto-kun already in a relationship? Have you agreed to share him or something?"

Naruto sighed and decided to explain everything to Moka. By the time he was finished, Moka was blushing slightly and said, "Wow. I definitely wasn't expecting that. And you two are okay with sharing him? Why weren't you like that with Tsukune-kun?"

Yukari frowned in thought for a time before she eventually said, "I think it's because we were jealous of each other. We were rivals for Tsukune's love...but at the same time, whenever he spurned our advances, it hurt and we took it out on each other. But, despite our rivalry, we still cared about one another. We're friends. And with Naruto-kun, it's like we feel…safe. If that makes sense."

Moka thought it over for a time before she nodded in understanding. "Yes, that makes sense. Naruto-kun's shown both of you the affection you both missed when Tsukune neglected you. It must be nice…"

Kurumu smirked at Moka and said, "You can be happy with him too, if you truly wanted to. I know you were in love with Tsukune, but…"

Naruto sighed and shook his head before smiling at Moka. "Don't mind them, Moka-chan. And don't mind what that other you said before. I'm happy with our friendship the way it is, and I had no plans to make any advances on you. You're still hurting after what happened with Tsukune and I don't want to take advantage of you like that."

Moka found herself frowning as she heard this. Looking down at her lap, she found herself asking something before she could contain herself. "Does that mean you really have no interest in me romantically?" When she realized what she just asked, she blushed and covered her face with her hands, unable to face him.

Kurumu smirked, but she remained quiet as she waited for Naruto to reply to her pink-haired friend. _Finally starting to be a little more honest with yourself, Moka?_

Naruto looked flabbergasted for a while before he eventually said, "Moka-chan? I do care about you a great deal. But because you had Tsukune, I never really thought about it. I wanted you to be happy. And I figured you were still grieving your loss. You need the time to get over your lost love. And like I said, I'm not sure how I feel about you. I think...I think I like you as more than a friend, but I had no intention of pursuing you. I was the one who killed your boyfriend, after all."

Moka lowered her hands and placed them neatly in her lap. Looking away from him, she said quietly, "I...I miss Tsukune-kun a great deal. You're absolutely right about that. But…"

_**Gaara**_

Gaara chuckled quietly to himself as he watched the proceedings through his friend's dorm room window. _You never cease to amuse me, Naruto. Now, what do I do about my little follower?_ He wondered to himself as he glanced in the direction of his stalker. "You can come out now."

Mizore slowly stepped out into the open and looked into Gaara's eyes. "H-Hi Gaara-kun." she said timidly.

The redhead looked at her for a moment before turning away from her. "What do you want Mizore?"

The lack of any affectionate suffix bothered Mizore, but she decided to steel her nerves and approach him. When she reached him, she slowly reached out and touched his shoulder tentatively. "G-Gaara-kun, please...look at me."

Gaara didn't comply at first and was silent for a good, long while. When Mizore was ready to run away crying, the redhead sighed and turned around to face her. "Mizore, why are you following me?"

The usually timid Yuki-onna looked him square in the eyes and reached a hand up, placing it gently upon his cheek. Gaara initially flinched at her touch, but calmed down a couple seconds later. "Your hand is cold to the touch." Gaara said, smirking a bit.

"Gaara-kun, do you still want me?" Mizore asked.

The Ichibi closed his eyes and nodded slowly. "I do. But...you wanted to kill my best friend. How am I supposed to trust that you're sincere? That you won't betray me like you did my friend?"

"I never meant to hurt you, Gaara-kun. I...all that I felt for Tsukune was a stupid crush. I...I'm so sorry. Gaara-kun, I...I want to be with you. You're the sweetest person I've ever met. You've always treated me kindly, and you've been respectful of me and my feelings. I promise I'll never try to hurt Naruto again. Just please...please give me a chance."

Gaara sighed and closed his eyes, taking the time to truly think about his answer. After a while, he opened his eyes and looked Mizore in the eyes, almost as if he were searching for something within them. After a period of silence, he said, "I…"

* * *

**A/N - I know, I know. Evil place to end the chapter, right? I honestly couldn't resist leaving those two scenes open-ended like that so you are left wondering what will happen, what they'll say, etc. Cliffhanger Technique! *twirls***

***coughs* Um...okay, sorry. I'm a little hyper. Been frustrated as hell too. x.x Was trying to work on this dang chapter, but dear God, my sister just would not shut the hell up and leave me alone. Just talk talk talk talk talk talk talk. It can be kiiiinda hard to concentrate and work on writing a chapter when somebody won't leave you the fuck alone. x.x **

**Anyways, as you can see, a bunch of different things happened in this chapter. I would have shown more with ANTI-THESIS, buuut...I wanted to focus more on other stuff. *shrugs* That and when they're compared to Naruto and Gaara as they are now, they were kinda fucked regardless. You have to admit, they're kinda OP now. lol**

**Anywho, yeah. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I dunno what I'll work on next.**


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